


Of Lions and Loth-Cats

by bluetoast



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: 1932, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Historical, BAMF Rey, BAMF Rose, Ben Solo Deserves Better, Ben Solo Needs A Hug, Dreams, F/M, Force Bonds, Historical References, Hurt/Comfort, Implied miscarriage, Nightmares, Period Typical Attitudes, Reality Jumping, Redeemed Ben Solo, Rey & Rose Tico Friendship, Rey Needs A Hug, Rey deserves better, Rose Tico Deserved Better, Segregation, Time Travel, World Between Worlds
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-06
Updated: 2020-09-04
Packaged: 2021-02-27 18:27:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 26,035
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22580233
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluetoast/pseuds/bluetoast
Summary: What the Force wants, the Force gets. It may take it a little while, but it knows what it's doing. Ben Solo trusts that - despite his strange arrival in this odd school by falling out a mirror and meeting three padawans who aren't as scared of him as he thinks they should be. That could have to do with the fact a man with his face and his name already exists wherever here is.Rey would just like her dreams to start making sense.Sequel toThe Companion
Relationships: Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 26
Kudos: 32





	1. Chapter 1

This place was beyond strange. Featureless and somehow infinite. At least it wasn't cold. That was the one good thing Ben Solo decided. He had no idea where he was, but given the dull ache in his body, he couldn't be dead. If he was dead, he wouldn't feel pain, would he? And he could walk without stumbling – which only added more confusion. Getting thrown down that cliff had certainly broken his hip and his arm.

Thank the Maker it wasn’t his neck.

Either both wounds were healed, he was in shock, or he was in some place where physical injuries didn't have sway; which could also explain his lack of exhaustion and hunger. Before he started to climb back up the cliff, he'd decided after getting Rey out of Exegol, they would, in order – get cleaned up, have something to eat, and sleep for a week.

_I am one with the Force, and the Force is with me._

The words wrapped around him like a blanket. The unknown speaker who had come to him at the bottom of the pit, not demanding, but quiet, soft encouragement, and had lingered in his mind as he staggered to Rey, flat out seeing nothing in the universe but her.

He ran a hand through his hair, stopping at a crossroads. “Hello?” his voice echoed around him, the sound slowly fading and replaced itself, laughter.

High pitched, childish laughter.

“There's a start.” he turned to his right, towards the noise. “Where are you?” he called, the path sloping upward, and he glanced back down, certain he'd see walls, something solid, but saw nothing but the curving road, surrounded by stars.

More gales of laughter; no longer one single voice, but half a dozen.

“Wonder what's so funny.” He flinched as he reached the top of the incline, “is there anyone else here?” Looking from one side of the split path to the other, a beam of light appeared several yards down to his left. “Can anyone hear me?” He turned and started walking. As he did, the fingers of his left arm, the broken one, started to tingle.

“What is it?” A boy's voice asked, “why do you think they covered this mirror up?”

“It's probably dangerous.” A girl answered, “remember what they told us when we first came here? There's things in this house we're not supposed to touch. I think taking the drapes off this mirror might count as poking about in things we shouldn’t.”

“Oh, rubbish, Miss Sibyl, you sound like the Professors.” the boy retorted. “If something in here was really dangerous, they'd have locked the door.”

Ben grimaced as the pain in his arm grew worse, and now he could see the light source a little more properly; it was square, surrounded by odd looking animals, some sort of large cat, he supposed, with manes. “Can you hear me?”

“Um, did you hear that Archie?” Miss Sibyl sounded scared. “Or do you think Professor Organa is playing tricks on us again?”

_Professor Organa?_

“I don't...” Archie coughed. “Um...”

“Found you!” a new voice, a girl, older sounding than Sibyl cried. “Oh. So that's what's under the drape. Funny kind of mirror.”

Ben reached the square of light and pain jolted through his leg, causing him to almost stumble as he turned to face the voices.

The unnamed girl couldn't have been older than fourteen, the two others no younger than ten. They certainly were dressed strangely; and the room they were in held no furniture, and he could see a brown wooden door open behind them. The older girl pushed the two younger behind her, though it didn't exactly hide them, Archie kept a hold of her arm. “Sybie, you're the fastest runner here. Go down to the drawing room and get Professor Organa.”

“Right, Petrova.” the girl answered and raced out the door, disappearing from Ben's view.

“I don't know what's going on,” Ben swallowed and took a step forward, and fell in a heap and was no longer looking out at the children, but up at them. “Ow.”

“Oh good, he speaks English.” Archie said, “and that sounded like ow.”

Ben blinked, pain intermingled with confusion. “It's called Basic.”

“I beg your pardon, but here we call the language English.” Petrova gave Archie a small push. “Remember, when the professors all started having weird dreams? You thought it was a bunch of nonsense until you had one about being a stable boy with funny looking horses?”

“You’re talking rubbish, Fossil.” the boy retorted, “if it meant something, you and Sybie would have had the dreams too.”

“A man who looks almost exactly like Professor Organa just fell out of a mirror at our feet and you're wanting to deny something's going on.” Petrova snorted, putting her hands on her hips. “Next thing I know, you're going to tell me you believe those idiots who are claiming the Earth is flat!” she paused, “Um, sir, out of curiosity, can you feel your legs?”

Ben blinked. “Yes. They hurt.” he frowned, “why do you ask?”

“I wanted to make sure your back and neck aren’t broken.” She crouched down, her face going a little softer. “Would it be easier to tell us what doesn't hurt than what does?”

He coughed, “I think my hip and arm are broken.” another wave of pain washed over him. “Where is this place?”

“Jedha.” Archie answered, “in the county of Kent, in the country of England.”

“Planet Earth.” he remembered her comment from earlier, “never heard of it.”

“What in the name of...” an entirely too familiar voice said from somewhere else in the room. “Sibyl, Archie, go back down to the classroom with Padawan Tico. No questions.”

Petrova stood up and another person came into view as he heard the other children walk away. “I asked, Professor Organa, his back's not broken.”

“I've seen worse.” Professor Organa answered. The man had his face, his expressions, his – well, maybe they were one in the same. “You have a million questions and you look like you just crawled out of the Verdun Trench.”

“The what?” It was unsettling to hear his voice come out of this man's mouth. The only difference he could see was the man above was a little older and had a trace of a beard.

“Nap time.” Professor Organa replied, waving his hand over Ben's face, and the world went black. The last thing he registered about the stranger was the gold band on his ring finger.

*

Rey couldn't tell if the heat of Tatooine was getting to her, or if her subconscious was still trying to tell her something. She kicked a rock off the dark path, wrinkling her nose. It was night here, wherever here was. A single moon shone above in the night sky, all the stars were strange and unrecognizable. Somewhere in the galaxy where she'd never been – probably never heard of either. “Where am I?”

Wait. She knew where she was – or rather, where she'd come from. Turning around, she saw the tall trees and dense brush, despite the darkness – the forest she'd crashed through the previous night. Or one of the forests she'd dreamed of. These places she'd never seen, yet somehow knew.

“You were a bird and you lived very high,” A quiet voice sang off to her left and she turned. “leaving with the wind as it came by...” The figure who came around the curve of the road was about her height, dressed in a strange manner – short pants with frayed hems, and a loose shirt, her long hair flowing behind her. “say to the wind at it took you away, that's where I wanted to go today!”

The closer the girl got, the more familiar she looked. The stranger spun around, looking back the way she came. “Good. Still not following me.” She sighed as she drew even with Rey.

The stranger was her. A little leaner, hair much longer, but unquestionably her. “Excuse me.”

The other Rey said nothing and kept walking. “What was I thinking?” she tightened the grip on her pack. “He left you right when you were about to need him the most and you just ran after him like some stupid lovesick puppy as soon as you could.”

“Who was this?” Rey hurried after the young woman. “Can't you hear me?” This was frustrating, wasn't this _her_ dream? Surely she should be able to talk to people, particularly someone who was her in her own head. And especially herself.

“Keep it together, Johnson. We just have to get to Xenia. We'll get to Xenia, get on a bus, get to a shelter, or something.” The other Rey rubbed her nose. “Stupid, misogynistic alpha male.”

Rey looked back down the road. “Wonder if there's someone down there I need to kill.”

“I should have stayed in England.” Other Rey spat. “I'd have my crummy flat and my job, I'd be alone, but at least I wouldn't be stuck in the middle of nowhere Ohio.”

“Where the hell is this place?” Rey had never heard of any of the locations the other woman had just listed. At least the 'where' of her current location was settled. Ohio. Sounded like some place in the Mid-Rim.

“Everyone leaves. This time I'm the one leaving.” Other Rey grimaced. “I fell asleep in a room with a red rug and woke up in a room with a blue one, that's where I'm from.” she ran her hands through her hair. “Please excuse me for not dying in the Killer Fog of London when I was five.” she made a disgusted noise, “no, I don't want any of your hallucinogens.”

“This place is kriffed up.” She kept pace with her dream companion. “I don't know how far England is from Ohio, but it sounds like a long way.” She frowned at the sign on the side of the road. It was written in some language she didn't recognize.

“Five miles to Xenia.” Other-Rey let out deep breath. “Halfway there.” She turned to face Rey, “and it's almost dawn.”

“What?” she looked to her left, and sure enough, the horizon bore a streak of light. At that exact moment, the humid air washed over her, and she winced. “if it's this hot at night, no wonder you're not traveling in the daytime.”

“Ohio, you have to go through here to get somewhere else.” other-Rey snickered. “But yet they call Indiana the Crossroads of America.” the girl swung her pack around, dug through it for a moment and drew out a bright green piece of fruit. “Dinner and breakfast.” The crunch which came from her biting into her food sounded unnaturally loud in the still, stagnant pre-dawn.

“Ohio, England, Indiana, America... Xenia....” she frowned, “isn't Xenia the name of the woman on that one holonet show?” Rey hurried after the stranger, and the landscape around them abruptly changed. The sun now full in the sky, the fields tapering back into clusters of trees, and to their left, a dirt and rock clearing, a squat building with large windows on the front stood, several small droid-like shapes in front of it. A land-speeder, at least, that's what Rey guessed it was, waited in front of it, with another one off to the side.

The land-speeders had _wheels_. Wherever this was, the civilization was primitive.

Other-Rey went still, looking ready to bolt. She sniffed, looking from the road to the building. “You don't know what's out there on the highway, Johnson. This could be just as dangerous.” She stepped off the road and into the graveled area as a door on the front of the building and a tall man exited.

“What. The. Kriff.” Rey felt her stomach drop somewhere around her feet. “Are you insane?” she ran to catch her other self's arm, but Rey Johnson didn't even acknowledge it. It was like she wasn't even there.

“Kylo Ren.” she growled as the woman reached up to knock on the window of the land-speeder, and what little blood that was left in her face drained away. The man sitting in the car wasn't Kylo Ren. It was unquestionably Ben Solo. A Ben Solo with nothing haunting his features, and who could smile far too easily. Naturally. “This is my dream and I want some answers!”

The land-speeder backed away, now with Rey Johnson sitting in the front passenger seat, the vehicle kicking up dust and gravel as it pulled out and drove away.

“Come back here!” she took off, racing after the speeder, her feet tangling together as she reached the road. She put her hands down to catch herself, and the ground spun, going from paved to dirt, purple and green grass surrounding her. “I don't...”

“No. You don't.” Her own voice echoed back towards her. “Why don't you just go back to sliding down sand dunes like a silly little girl?”

Rey bolted up in bed, gasping for breath. “Shut up, it's only a dream.” she panted.

A low whistle sounded from the corner and Beebee Eight rolled into view, letting out another concerned sound.

“I'm fine.” she shook her head. “might as well get up, that vaporator is not going to fix itself.” she threw back the thin cover and swung her legs around, letting out a whimper as pain raced up her arms as she started to push herself up. “What?” she lifted her hands to examine them.

Both of her palms were badly scraped; small chunks of debris and dirt embedded in the wounds. “This is impossible.” she frowned, “Beebee Eight, do I sleepwalk?”

The droid whistled a negative.

“Maybe I fell out of bed at some point.” Rey grimaced and reached over to her med-kit. “How long did I sleep this time?”

Beebee eight rolled closer, letting out a series of beeps.

“Two hours. Well, it's something.” She opened the kit and started to clean her wounds. Using tweezers, she gently removed the small chunks, frowning at the brilliant green shard of transparisteel she pulled out from the ball of her thumb. “Guess people throw things away everywhere in the universe.” she shifted the tweezers to her right hand to clean the left.

The droid pushed against her leg, making a concerned noise.

“Yes, I know I'm out of bacta patches.” she looked over at her discarded top. “I'll just need to keep them clean for a few days, it's nothing major.” she winced as she pulled another piece of green from her hand. “This thing is weird.” she sucked on the wound as BeeBee opened his small storage compartment. “Good idea.” she dropped the transparisteel inside and finished removing the debris from her palm.

Sighing, she reached over and took her shirt, tearing off the hood. “I sort of felt silly wearing it anyway.”

Beebee Eight let out a chattering noise, making her frown.

“You detect traces of sugar and an unknown flavoring.” she paused, “is there a similar chemical component you can compare it to?”

He whistled, backing up.

“Caf.” she frowned, looking at the green hunk she'd removed from her right hand as she finished tearing the hood into strips. “Let's see if the other part can tell you more.”

*

What woke Ben more than anything was hunger. He remained still, letting his body and his mind slowly fall into synch. A deep, long slumber was always good; and the silence inside his head was an undreamt of luxury. The pain was back to the dull ache stage; the sort which came from general problems and not life-threatening injuries. He coughed into the pillow under his head and opened his eyes.

He'd fallen out of a mirror and barely had time to process anything before a duplicate of himself came in and knocked him unconscious with the Force. The linen under his cheek was soft, warm, and smelled of some kind of flower. He shifted, and realized his hip was no longer broken; nor was his arm – mostly healed. The fact he was in a strange room wearing someone else's clothes didn't bother him as much as his physical condition did. “what in the...”

“Oh, you're awake.” Petrova said from his other side and he turned his head to see her shut a book. “You've been asleep for almost twenty hours.” she stood, putting her book aside “How do you feel?”

“Hungry, more than anything else.” he answered, blinking. “don't ever fall off a cliff, it hurts.”

She pressed a small button on the wall, coming closer to the bed. “I'll try and remember that.” she frowned, “must have been a terribly tall cliff.”

“It was.” he pushed himself up to a sit, wincing as his muscles cried in protest. “Okay, not as pain-free as I thought.” he ran a hand through his hair. “May I ask you a question that might sound a little strange?”

Petrova shrugged. “I get strange questions daily, so I guess it's fine.”

“If you were to describe the age of this... time period, what would you call it?” He frowned, “if you understand what I'm asking.”

“I'd say it's transitional.” she bit at her lip. “Unequal parts of steam, electric, and diesel, and I really hope airplane engines progress with better speed than train engines do.” she blinked at him, “what's that look for?”

He pinched the bridge of his nose, almost tempted to start laughing. “Steam power went out a long, long time ago in the place where I'm from. I'm not talking about centuries, but millenniums.” He heard the bedroom door open.

“Well now, Padawan Fossil, is our guest and patient awake?” The voice was one of the last he expected to hear. His hand fell as Rey came into view, going over to the girl. “Close your mouth, young man. I know your mother taught you better than to gape.”

“It's not been five minutes, Professor Andor.” Petrova answered.

“Well, it takes seven minutes to walk up here sometimes.” Rey seemed completely unaffected by the whole situation. “How are you feeling?”

“Confused.” he replied, and grimaced as his stomach rumbled.

“Well, no one thinks well on an empty stomach.” she stepped closer to the bed, “afraid it's simple food for a few days, no good having it all come back up.” She gave him a half-smile. “I know, you're unnerved by the sight of me.” Rey took a breath. “Three weeks ago, half the people in this house started having odd dreams.”

“Odd is an understatement, given how loud Rose was screaming Sunday night.” Petrova answered, “though after what she told me, I completely understand.”

“Exactly.” Rey turned back to Ben. “I'm a little older than the Rey you know, and I've had a completely different upbringing. Or to put it another way, I'm her but not her.”

“This is insane.” he shook his head, looking away. “I am dead or dreaming.”

“If you were dead, you wouldn't be hungry.” Petrova interjected as he glared at her. “Sorry.”

“Don't be sorry, Padawan Fossil. You're absolutely right.” she caught Ben's eye. “You need to eat.” She chuckled softly, “food first, answers second.” she pushed the same button Petrova had. “Maybe, if you're feeling better come this time tomorrow, you can join us downstairs for luncheon.”

Ben covered his face with his hands, rubbing his eyes. His awareness was seeping back in, along with his connection to the Force; but it felt strange, while the ebb and flow still seemed as infinite as always, it now felt thicker; more condensed. Or perhaps his convalescing body was simply sluggish. Nourishment would improve everything. “Too much has happened in a short time.”

“Judging from the wounds and the smell, you've had a series of one bad thing after another.” Rey cleared her throat. “What you need is a rest. If even half of what I've read about the mirror is correct, getting you back isn't going to prove an issue. The trouble comes from waiting for the Force to decide when the time is right.”

He ran his fingers through his hair as Petrova retrieved her book and walked out of the room. “I don't even know where here is.”

“Jedha.” She answered, going over to the window. “we're in for some rain. Shame we can't send these clouds over to America. They're in for one wretched summer.” she turned back to him. “Is there a Jedha where you're from?”

Ben sighed, “I'm guessing Jedha is the name of the city we're in. Where I'm from, it's a moon, and there was once a city with the same name located there.” he swallowed. “someone decided to destroy the city as a... demonstration.”

“I'm afraid you've come to a place where the stars remain out of our reach. But, I have read the works of Jules Verne, so I can imagine a little.” She took a breath. “Jedha's the name of the school.” she frowned, “I suppose your Jedha could be the source of the name. My early history of schools of the Force is woefully lacking.”

A school called Jedha. It didn't sound too far off; from what he'd read, Jedha City was a place for pilgrimages, and, while he didn't want to speak it out loud, if the Force had brought him here, or if he'd simply led himself here...

“You're thinking too hard. I recognize the expression.” Rey chuckled as the door creaked open again. “Good afternoon, Professor Îmwe.” She went over and took the lap tray from the man.

“Good afternoon, Padawan Andor.” the man walked calmly over to the empty chair and sat, turning his face towards Ben. He was blind – and in that split second, he recognized both the voice and the name.

“Kriff.” he barely registered Rey putting more pillows behind his back and setting the tray over his lap.

“You should watch your tongue young man, there is a lady in the room and children in the corridor.” Professor – Chirrut Îmwe chided.

The door creaked and from around the frame, Ben caught sight of a small child with dark hair. “Mama?”

“Jelena!” Rey exclaimed, going across the room and sweeping her up into her arms, speaking rapidly in a language Ben didn't recognize and shut the door firmly behind her.

“Eat your soup, young man.” Professor Îmwe intoned, sitting back in the chair. “There will be a time for answers later.”

He shook his head, scanning the tray. A bowl containing a dark brown broth, a segmented orange fruit on a plate, two toasted slices of bread smeared with butter - at least, Ben hoped it was butter, and mug full of something which looked similar to caf, with a great deal of milk added. “Simple foods.”

“Yes.” Chirrut said, smiling. “Sometimes simple is the best, for the comfort they bring when the world chooses to show you the worst.”

“Point.” He took the cloth napkin from the tray and spread it over his lap, wondering if things could become any stranger. “Don't answer that”

The older man chuckled. “I won't. And I know you cannot help thinking so loud. Mrs Sowerby does make the best beef tea in the country, possibly in all of the British Empire.” he shook his head. “No one walks into the kitchen and tells her how to prepare something. You can hand her the recipe, but you cannot tell her how to cook.”

Ben picked up the spoon and ate a little of the soup. The man was right; it tasted amazing. He might not know what exactly a beef was – but it reminded him strongly of nerf.

“Beef comes from an animal called the cow.” Professor Îmwe answered. “I will try to stop doing that.”

“It's fine.” he ate some more. It was a change of pace, getting answers to questions. He put the spoon down and took the mug in both his hands. Whatever this was, it smelled sweet. He almost groaned at the taste; if a hug could have a flavor, it would be whatever this concoction was called.

“Hot chocolate, and I completely agree. I'd never had the beverage until I came to England.” his smile fell a fraction, “such things are not common in China.”

“This planet sounds terribly busy and rather...” he searched for the right word, “diverse.”

“Indeed.” Chirrut covered a cough as the door opened and girl came into the room, setting a walking stick against the man's chair. “Thank you, Padawan Branson.”

“You're welcome.” she gave Ben half a smile before going back out of the room.

He set the mug down. “How many students are there here at Jedha?”

“One never stops learning. We are all students, in one way or another.” Professor Îmwe took the walking stick in his hands, holding it in front of him so he could rest his head against the staff. “But if you're inquiring about children, there are four, although Jelena is too young for the same kind of lessons the older three take.” His colorless eyes focused on him. “So the place is real. The place where many of us here also exist, but not entirely together.”

Ben swallowed, picking up a piece of bread. “Yes. It's real. Though I suppose it makes this place real too.”

Chirrut smiled, lifting his chin. “I knew you could reach the top of the cliff. I may not have sight in life, but once one has passed over, I shall.” his smile grew confident. “and the Jedi of your world are arrogant even in death. They created their own demise the day they cleaved the Force in two.”

He averted his gaze and shifted his focus to the tray. “I am one with the Force, and the Force is with me.”

“Very good, Padawan Solo. Do not let anyone ever tell you different.” He made a small tutting noise. “There is no light, there is no dark, there is only the Force.”

*

The wind on Tatooine wasn't as fierce as Jakku, but the whole of the planet and the rage of the sandstorm seemed worse. Huddled in the corner of one of the little house's bedrooms, Rey dreaded the idea of having to dig herself out in the morning. Swallowing, she leaned against the wall, asking why she had come here, of all places. Well, she couldn't go back to Jakku and reclaim her old AT-AT, her things were long gone and she wasn't going to begrudge whatever scavenger had taken up her former home.

“Maybe I should have stayed with Chewie.” she sighed, her grip tightening on her blanket. The Resistance didn't need her anymore. No one needed her. She closed her eyes, slowing her breathing to try and relax. No family, no real friends, no purpose. Nothing.

_You come from nothing. You're nothing. But not to me._

“You're dead.” she hissed. “You're dead and I'm not nothing. I'm... I'm...” Rey wrapped her arms over her head, trying to will the image away. The throne room on the Supremacy with the Praetorian Guard defeated, Snoke slain, and so much on fire.

_Sort of like your life?_

“Shut up!” she lunged forward and fell into a snowbank. She spun upright, gasping; another dream. The snow was heavier and denser than the storm on Starkiller Base, the sky impossible to see. Stumbling to her feet, she crashed into a steel pillar, and the light above her swayed.

“Now where am I?” She swallowed, backing away into a crossroads, she was in a pool of light, and when she stepped out of the direct light and into the darkness, she could see nothing but towering buildings, their upper floors and tops lost in the storm. “I have a feeling I'm not in Ohio anymore.”

Dusting the snow from her arms, noticing the tracker she'd discarded over a year ago back in place, and the roads were all oddly snow free; great piles of the stuff lined the street, giving her the odd feeling she was walking through a tunnel. “the place in the middle of nowhere being free of people, I understand. This city shouldn't feel so... empty.”

A loud chirp echoed towards her and Rey stopped, frowning as some kind of cat, black as anything, came from the cross-street, and sat in the pool of light, blinking at her as she chirped again. The small bell around her neck jingling.

“Oh, hello.” She crouched down, holding out her hand. “Come here kitty, I won't harm you.”

The animal meowed, clearly uninterested in getting any closer.

“You shouldn't be out in this bad weather.” She took a few tentative steps towards the cat, who started to clean her paws. “This isn't even real and I'm acting like it is.” She snickered. “If this is a dream, you should start talking.”

The cat stood and padded towards her, chirping again.

“Yeah, figured.” she shook her head as the mass of fluff jumped at her wrist and ripped the pulse tracker off, backing away, just out of her grasp.

“Hey!” she stood up and the cat began to run. “Come back here!” she started after the animal, and as she did, the incline grew steeper, her quarry growing in size as they neared the bottom of the hill. “I need that!”

The cat jumped a fence which loomed up out of nowhere and out into a wide open area, vanishing into the darkness.

Rey hurdled over the fence, barely clearing the top and slid the second her feet touched ground, overshooting the now small-again cat, and into the center of – wherever here was. “Okay... now what?”

“Grew up in a small town, and when the rain would fall down, I'd just stare out my window.” a voice sang from her left, a low beam of light starting to illuminate the area. Another Rey came into view, dressed for the weather, an odd looking stick in her hand; the bottom was spiked, with a ring above it. A lamp of some kind in her other. “Dreaming of what could be, and if I'd end up happy, I would pray...”

“You can't hear me.” she snarled. “You're not real.” She squared her shoulders. “Wonder where Ren is.” she spun around, using the light created by the lamp to look around. “Come on, where are you....”

“She may not be able to hear you, Rey of Jakku. But I can.” another voice, directly behind her, made her stiffen.

Rey didn't turn around. “What is this, another vision of the dark side?” she scoffed, “I won't be swayed, I'm just fine and...” she swallowed as the Rey behind her came into view. Not a woman garbed in flowing black, white, or gray – but in a deep blue gown, both of her hands resting on her rounded middle, a lightsaber hanging from her belt.

“I'm Rey Somebody, Rey of Jakku. Rey Kenobi, to be precise.” she nodded to the other girl who was now in the center of the halo of light. “So is she.” she smirked, “she got thrown away by her worthless uncle because he didn't get access to her money. I got dumped off at the Jedi Academy as a child.”

“That's not possible. People don't....” growing up at the Jedi Academy sounded pretty damn good to her. But then, she knew full well children got left behind all the time. Her parents hadn't sold her into slavery to protect her. It was a lie. Because Palpatine wasn't exactly the most honest person who ever drew breath and he could feed lies with such convention, he could convince anyone of anything. “Why are you so angry then?”

“The universe is full of shitty people.” She unclasped the lightsaber from her belt, her free hand sliding down to the underside of her belly. “Strange how the way we get into the universes change, but Ben Solo remains the same.”

Rey took a step back, and from under her, she heard the ground groan. A deep, ancient sort of noise. Swallowing, she looked down; ice. “What do you want?”

“It's not what I want, Rey of Jakku. It's what the Force wants.” the pregnant woman came closer and seized her hand, pressing it against her rounded middle. “You saw yourself like this when you touched hands with Ben.”

Her throat closed as she felt movement under her palm, the brightness of the Force-signatures within blinding and warm. “No I didn't!”

“Liar.” Other-Rey hissed. “Both the vision of the light and the dark held it. When you saw yourself on the Throne of the Sith, when you saw the gardens of Naboo.”

“Stop it.” she wrenched her hand away. “I don't want this!”

“One step at a time, Rey of Jakku.” Other-Rey reached out and grabbed the tie of the band on her right arm. “You should be glad you met me first.” she yanked the cord free and the covering fell away. “I'm the nice one.”

“Out of the darkness and into the sun,” the forgotten Rey sang, and a splintering noise rent the air. “but I won't forget the place I come from, I got to take a risk, take a chance , make a change, and breakaway... ”

Other-Rey stepped back. “Time to rise, Rey of Jakku. And remember.”

Singing Rey swung the stick over her head and slammed the spiked end into the ground.

The ice beneath Rey shattered and she was plunged into the frigid water. The world spun as she righted herself, moving upward, only to meet a reformed sheet of ice. Perfectly transparent – and through it, she could see the Rey in blue, her lightsaber ignited in a shade of green, along with another, dressed in gray and brown clutching a yellow and violet double bladed lightsaber, and a third, in brilliant shade of pink, who held something she couldn’t identify.

She pounded against the barrier, her lungs aching with the need for air, the cold like knives digging into her skin everywhere.

_Wake up!_

Rey shot to a sit, her heart pounding, the noise of the sandstorm blocked out as she looked down at her arm; the leather band was gone, leaving her scar exposed. The scar she'd kept covered up, like some stupid ugly secret. She pressed her hand over it, closing her eyes as the hot tears began to fall.

The bond had returned; but nothing stood at the other end, only an ugly, painful emptiness.

“I should have taken your hand.” she let out a sob, falling back to the bed, burying her face into the pillow. “I should have taken Kylo's hand.” If she had taken his hand after the death of Snoke – she could have found a way to find Ben too. And even if she hadn't, they would be together now – and she wouldn't be alone.

She hated being alone.


	2. Chapter 2

Ben slid out of the bed, almost expecting his legs to buckle under him. He didn't know how long he'd slept, or even what time he'd fallen back asleep after eating. The chair near the bed was empty; the seat cold. He grimaced as he made his way over to the window, stretching his muscles. He wasn't sure what he expected to see outside. Reaching the heavy drape, he pushed it aside and reached up to undo the latch with his free hand.

Cool, clean air swept in around him, heavy with the scent of rain and some kind of flower – the same flowers the sheets smelled of. The grounds outside were almost wild, trees and bushes overgrown, but the paths remained well maintained. A bit of order in a lot of green chaos. Considering he couldn't see any form of fence or gate, the room he was in was not in the front of the house.

“Wonder what time it is.” he rubbed his eyes, the only thing he knew for certain he didn't need was more sleep. He leaned a little ways out the window, looking from left to right, seeing the nearer corner, a good nine windows away. He was on the third story of the house, and the further corner was more than a dozen sets of windows away. Leaning further out, he turned to look up, and saw another row of windows above. “This is an insanely large house.”

“Oh, you're up and out of bed.” a voice said from behind him and he turned to face a young woman who was vaguely familiar. “Good morning.”

“Morning.” he shut the window as she came into the room and set a pile of clothes at the foot of the bed, along with a bound book and a pen. “You're... Padawan Tico, yes?”

“Yes.” She tucked a stray curl behind her ear. “Rose, Padawan Tico, you can call me either, I answer to both.” she smiled, “since you're looking much better, do you want to come downstairs for breakfast?”

“I could eat.” he grimaced as his stomach rumbled. “Out of curiosity, is there any student or teacher here I haven't met yet?”

“No. Professor Stover is in London, his grandma passed away a few days ago, so he'll be gone for at least three weeks.” she took a deep breath, “Professor Skywalker is in Johannesburg, because, and I quote the man directly, 'hell has frozen over and Amilyn Holdo has decided to return to Jedha after leaving it twenty-seven years ago.'”

Ben swallowed. “I don't know where either of those places are, but I take it they both take a while to get to.” He didn't know anyone with the surname Stover, but the further he was from Luke Skywalker, the better.

“London's a good four hours, Johannesburg is in South Africa, it's at least two weeks there and back, if the weather's good.” Rose looked at the stack of clothing. “Professor Organa says he hopes the clothes fit, and if you want to know where your clothes are, they're in the wash. The journal is yours, as is the pen. It's a lot easier to sort things out sometimes if you write them down.” She went to the door. “You want me to wait for you in the hall? The dining room's not too hard to find, but this place is full of distractions.”

“I can imagine, considering there's a mirror around here which connects to the World Between Worlds.” he shook his head, “I think that's where I was. I thought such a place was a myth.”

“We don't exactly have extensive research on multiple reality theory either. Older generations were more interested in the here and now, and not what's out there.” Rose stepped out into the hall and closed the door. “Can you still hear me?”

“Yes.” he sorted the stack of clothing, wondering why the hell the undergarments were so complicated. The shoes, at least, were his, though cleaned up considerably. “But didn't Professor Îmwe tell me the other day that one never thinks well on an empty stomach?”

“True.” The girl laughed and he heard a thud which he guessed was her leaning against the wall. “Morning Petrova.”

“Morning. Are you done with _Nineteenth Century Ciphers_?” a pause, “also, Professor Andor wanted me to tell you that another crate of books came from the Imperial School in the evening post. They don't need translating, just sorting.”

Ben frowned as he changed into the clothes, the idea of books on the Force and the whole of it made him wonder if he could just ask where the library was and find out the answers he needed on his own. Talking with Ben Organa here was kind of weird, talking with Rey Organa even worse, and Professor Îmwe, in the little time they had interacted, felt off – like this whole place felt off with the Force concentrated instead of free-flowing, more like mud and less like wind.

“Fourth crate in as many months. Likely it's more diaries.” she sighed, “Professor Skywalker said the same thing happened twenty years ago, only the books were coming from St. Petersburg. And I'm almost finished with Ciphers. I'd have been done last week if the author didn't have a penchant for pointless tangents. I'm sure it was meant as interesting, but really, if I want to learn about the unification of Italy, I'd read a book dedicated to the subject.”

Running a hand through his hair, Ben took a deep breath before opening the door. “What century is it anyway?”

“Twentieth.” Petrova answered, “see you at breakfast.” she went down the hallway, and he saw her jump on one foot, turn in midair and land on the banister, sliding down effortlessly.

Rose snickered. “and she claims she didn't learn anything at the Academy of Dancing and Stage Training in London.” she gave Ben a grin, “Madame Fidolia's in for the surprise of her life when Petrova goes back to visit and starts speaking to the woman in flawless Russian.” She picked up a book from the table next to her and they went towards the stairs.

“I take it that most lessons here are learned from books.” He decided not to start asking about countries and languages and schools for the stage, things were confusing enough already.

“They are, at least, here.” she intoned as they went down. “A lot of it's one on one too.” she shrugged, “the War and the Great Influenza killed a lot of the Force-sensitive people in the world. Jedha's the only school for it left in Europe.”

Ben nodded, pausing at the turning of the stairs, “interesting tapestry.” the only other ornamentation in the front hallway was a large transparisteel case, inside of which was the skeleton of a massive cat, the creature's canine teeth easily the length of one of his hands. “are those common around here?” he gestured towards the case.

“No, it's a saber toothed tiger – they became extinct around ten thousand years ago, and their habitat was in the Americas.” Rose grinned, “we call her Theophania.” her fingers brushed the top of the case, “Professor Organa's archeologist friend sent her to him for his birthday the year I came here.” she paused, “Rey's the one who named her.” she paused, “okay, I'll stop adding to your pile of things you don't understand or have questions about. As the saying goes, your plate is full already.”

“Yeah.” he shook his head as they went down a corridor with tall doors and into another room, the smell of something delicious coming from the sideboard. Petrova, Archie and Professor Îmwe were already seated at the table, and a stack of letters rested on three plates, and he went to one of the settings with none. “Morning.”

“Good morning, Padawan Solo.” the professor adjusted his hold on a piece of toast. “Feeling better today?”

“Much.” he went to the sideboard, deciding to stick with the contents in the large silver urn; it was about the only food which looked familiar, along with a few slices of bacon. As soon as he sat down, Petrova pushed a small covered bowl towards him. “What's this?”

“Treacle.” she didn't look up from her plate. “Professor Organa always puts it on his porridge.”

Ben lifted the lid off the bowl and picked the container up, sniffing it twice before dropping a spoonful of the contents into the mass of white, mixing it up with his fork. Thank the Maker this place had similar flatware to what he knew. “Thank you.”

“You're welcome.” She opened the book next to her plate and set it in front of her, turning her focus to reading. As he took a quick glance around the table, he noticed that he and the professor were the only ones not reading. He spread the napkin across his lap before he started to eat, and from the corner of his eye, saw Archie hastily do the same.

“Good morning!” A young, cheerful voice cried from behind him.

“Good morning, Miss Jelena, I see someone has woken up happy today.” Professor Îmwe answered.

“Yes they have.” Other Ben came around the table, the child from the other day on his hip. “any night without bad dreams is always a good night.”

“Amen to that.” Rose answered from Ben's left, slicing her egg in half and picked up a piece of toast to soak up some of the yolk spreading across her plate.

“Here you go.” Professor Organa swung his daughter down into the chair next to Professor Îmwe, making her directly opposite from Ben. “Rey and Sybbie will be down shortly.” He paused, “You want an egg today, Dragonfly?”

“Please.” the little girl answered, and Ben looked back down at his plate. While it shouldn't shock him that the child had Rey's eyes – it was a little unnerving.

“Let me know if you find any secrets of the universe in your bowl of porridge. I've been looking for as long as I can remember and still haven't found one.” Professor Organa quipped.

“Maybe you should try the tea leaves.” Chirrut interjected, laughing. “Sit up straight, Padawan Fossil.”

The girl made a face as shifted in her chair, “I don't want to lose my place.” Petrova set a slip of paper and shut the book. “Though 'sit up straight' is vastly better than 'smile and pick up your feet, Petrova.'”

Ben swept his spoon through the cereal, tuning out most of the conversation, having something substantial in his stomach was going a long way towards making this whole situation a little easier to handle. He jolted when he felt a sharp kick against his leg and he looked up. “I'm sorry?”

“How old did you turn on your last birthday? Or you call them something else, like a name day?” Rey Organa was giving him a hard look, he hadn't noticed her come into the room.

He set his spoon down. “Thirty. Though some days I feel three times as old.”

“Don't we all?” Rose grinned, “we should start a club.” she gave him a sideways look, “sorry about the kick.”

“It's fine.” the memory suddenly clicked and he turned towards her. “That's where I know you from. Rose Tico's the crazy woman who tried to bite General Hux's hand off.” he snorted, “or so he claimed. She's also suspected of destroying the main game room and lobby of a casino on Canto Bight.”

“You have an Armitage Hux too?” Professor Organa sat down next to Jelena. “How'd he get involved in the military? He's got flat feet, he couldn't march five yards.” He snorted, “General Hux indeed.”

“It's a gruesome story, most of which is unsuitable for the current company and situation.” he took a sip of tea. “What does he do here?”

“Minister of Education.” Archie answered, “least until the end of this year.” he shot a look at Rey. “and don't tell me the future's always in motion. He won't hold his position if the Prime Minister changes.”

“Breakfast always this entertaining?” Ben muttered towards Rose.

“Not usually. Most of the time Petrova and I keep our noses in books and Professor Îmwe and Professor Skywalker try to see who can sound older and drive everyone up a wall.” she grinned, “Professor Holdo's probably going to bring an end to it, and I for one, could use the reprieve.”

*

Rey heard the speeder before she saw it. The twin suns had a habit of wrecking the view on the horizon, and she stepped into the shade of the entrance as the craft drew closer, her hand tightening on the hilt of her lightsaber. She certainly wasn't expecting guests, and few people knew she was out here. One of the good things about this planet was most people tended to mind their own business. The speeder slowed and her frown deepened. The craft was hers; the one she'd left behind on Jakku, almost two years ago. “Maybe I've got heatstroke.”

The speeder stopped and she came out of the shadow, still not relinquishing the hold on her weapon as the driver dismounted. Beebee Eight beeped at her feet and she looked down at the droid. “I don't think it's Poe.”

“Rey?” the driver asked, then pulled off her helmet. “Good, I picked the right planet.” she came around to the other side of the speeder, closer to her. “I don't know if you remember who I am, but uh...”

She blinked. “Rose Tico?” she frowned, “what are you doing here?”

The older woman came to her side, grabbed her arm and in a manner which would make General Organa proud, marched her down into the house. “We need to talk, and not outside.”

Rather than protest, she let herself get dragged down the stairs and into the dining room of the house, the droid at their heels. “You could have sent a holo, I would have...”

“Sit down.” Rose fairly dumped her into one of the chairs and pulled something from her pocket, dropping it on the table.

Rey frowned. “What’s this?”

“It's the central processing chip from the X-Wing you flew off of Exegol.” her hands slapped against the table. “It's corroded by lengthy exposure to salt water. The vehicle shouldn't have been able to get started, let alone get off the ground from wherever you found it.” she grimaced, “and don't tell me it's the wrong X-Wing like Finn did. Something's happened and I'm not crazy. Too many things don't add up and I am sick of being the only one who's noticed!”

She picked up the chunk of circuitry, remembering she couldn't get the X-Wing started again when she first tried to leave the Resistance, before Chewie gave her Falcon. “I don't understand...” she shook her head, trying to clear it. “I'm...” she let out a breath. “Okay, maybe you should start with what you mean by things being wrong.”

Rose slumped into the seat opposite, undoing her wraps, clearly unconcerned by the sand she was spilling on the table. “I thought I was imagining things when it started, I remember asking someone what happened to Vice Admiral Holdo, and people would ask me who she was. I thought it was bullshit, or something bad happened, but even General Organa didn't know.”

“Um, Rose? _I_ don't know who Vice Admiral Holdo is.” she sniffed the broken part, flinching at the stench of salt and something else she couldn’t name.

“I expect that answer from you, you were only at the base on D'Qar for what, a handful of hours?” she took a breath. “Anyway, the General not knowing was my first big clue. You don't forget the name of one of your last childhood friends, particularly not if you've lost a whole slew of them.” Her shoulders fell. “The only person who believes me that something's gone wrong is Chewbacca.” she swung the bag on her shoulder onto the table, scattering more sand. “All I can think of is something happened after the Battle of Crait, before we set up the new base.” she opened the bag, “and it's major, whatever it is.”

Rey sat back, “I still don't know what you mean by wrong. Like we're all in some kind of weird pocket reality?”

“Possibly.” she set two objects on the table, “I found these shoved into a drawer on the Falcon seven months ago, when you asked me to replace a few wires in the hyper-drive. I was going to ask if you wanted help fixing it, and I know I shouldn't have taken it, but something told me to keep them hidden and with me.”

She swallowed, turning the two parts slowly before putting them together; shaking her head. “I buried this lightsaber weeks ago.” she closed her eyes, “I remember how this was broken, but I don't remember repairing it.” Her temple started to throb. “It doesn't make sense.”

“Either the sabers are one in the same, or the saber you had last wasn't the one that belongs here. You just think it does.” The older woman sighed, “I know, this sounds like I'm crazy, and...”

“Maybe... maybe not.” she frowned, looking back at the two halves. “but then where did the other saber come from?”

“Are you sure it's still where you buried it? I mean, if someone from another reality put it here temporarily, it'd be easy to take it back.” Rose made an odd noise and Rey glanced up. “Okay, I'll just say it... I had a really weird dream where I met another Rose Tico. Well, I didn't meet her first, I was chasing a cat.”

Rey straightened. “Black, fluffy, with a bell around its neck and chirps?”

Rose nodded, “yeah.” she went back to digging in her bag. “Anyway, this other Rose, she was younger than me, by at least ten years.” she frowned, “you've seen the cat too?”

“I think I might have. It's a long story.” she took a breath. “We need some water.” she stood and went to the storage unit. “It's a pretty long way here from Mos Eisley.” She filled two cups and came back to the table.

She dropped a package of dried fruit rations onto the table, along with another large one of synth-meat. “Not the best lunch, but it will work.” she sighed and picked up her cup, taking a sip. “Thank you.”

“You're welcome.” Rey resumed her seat, picking up one of the saber halves. “What did the other Rose tell you?”

“Make them hear you.” The woman wrapped her hands around her cup, her expression uncertain. “What has happened is not the way.” she took another drink.

Rey frowned, “did she tell you where to find me?”

“No.” she shifted in her seat. “Chirrut Îmwe did. At least, I think that’s who it was.”

“Who's Chirrut Îmwe?” This was getting more and more confusing; and judging from the expression on Rose's face, not knowing who this Îmwe person was was like not knowing water is wet. “I didn't exactly get an education on Jakku.”

“Sorry.” she rubbed her temple. “I don't know about this Force stuff. Not much, but something Chirrut said stuck with me. He said what the Force wants, the Force gets.” she stood. “I'll make us some lunch, and tell you about the crew of Rogue One.” she grinned awkwardly. “Though it might be a little embellished. Paige loved to tell me the story at night, when we were trying to sleep.”

*

Benjamin Organa didn't want to think of himself as stupid. But the fact his uncle had left the country at his age to escort Amilyn Holdo, who certainly didn't need an escort, back to Jedha was a blatant clue that something was going to happen. Of course, the planet was a powder keg with a fuse the length of the Mississippi River, but the second it was lit, things would go from tense to terrible before anyone could fully process what was happening. No way to stop it, no way to avoid it.

If you tried to rid the world of one dictator before they could establish their reign, you ran the risk of someone worse rising in their place.

The Tudor Dynasty, for example. Who would have thought the younger son of Henry VII would turn into the sort of tyrant he did?

“This is madness.” he muttered, staring into his teacup. He and Rey had gone into the study to work on the finances for the house and school after breakfast, and really, he would have much rather gone back upstairs and spent the morning in the nursery with their daughter. “I don't even know where to start.”

“It's not like we didn't know about multiple realities. At least, in theory.” Rey took his hand in both of hers. “You knew Professor Bridger. I didn't.” she squeezed his fingers, smiling. “And don't go telling me he was out of his mind because of morphine after the Boer War. The mirror upstairs is proof of all this.”

“The difficulty is the mirror is often just a mirror, and the times it turns into a portal are erratic. It's unpredictable and no one's ever ventured inside to see what's beyond. Well, if any mice went in and came back, they aren't saying a thing.” he sighed, “I don’t know what all Ben Solo has endured, but it’s not a pretty story.”

“I know.” Rey traced his wedding band. “You both have the same eyes, and despite him being younger, his eyes are twice the age of yours.” she swallowed, “and the sight of me unnerves him more than the sight of you.” She took a deep breath. “Thank God there's a significant gap in your ages and that the two of you didn't merge into one.”

“You know that idea is unproven.” he squeezed her fingers again. “I don't know what would be stranger, merging or somehow finding a reality without the Force. Perhaps it may have another name, but not existing? It seems unfathomable.”

“You mean like in all those lovely works of fiction we've all read cover to cover?, particularly those of Miss Austen and Sir Conan Doyle?” Rey let go of his hand and stood, walking over to the windows and throwing the curtains wide, revealing the rainy afternoon. “It's like trying to understand the concept of the Force having two sides like it does in Ben Solo's world.”

Ben chuckled as he stood, going over and wrapping his arms around her. “Professor Îmwe says the other place split the Force, forgetting that while it's true everything has two sides, you can't deal in absolutes.” He rested his chin on her head. “Some might call this weather ugly, but there's farmers across the globe who see it as a blessing. Nothing like a good soaking rain to help the crops get started.”

“Well, as Sybbie put it, today's a good day to get caught up on busywork.” Rey chuckled. “It's hard to do sums when the sun is shining.”

“I don't know which of those three padawans enjoys the outdoors more.” he kissed her temple and pulled away. “Padawan Fossil is always eager to help with explaining mathematics.” he shook his head. “Quick as she is with the subject, it won't take too much longer and she'll have to move onto textbooks and leave the rest of us behind.”

She took a drink of tea before sorting through a stack of papers. “Fortunately, the library has sufficient materials for any subject.” she sighed, “I'll need to head to the classroom shortly. Diagramming sentences.”

Ben chuckled. “Any plans on doing Shakespeare after dinner tonight? Reading the plays aloud is far better than reading them on their own. You would make an excellent Hamlet.”

“We're not ready for the prince of Denmark, despite the fact Petrova's read most of the tragedies.” she made a face. “Besides, it's Rose's turn to choose a play and she's trying to decide between _Much Ado About Nothing_ and _Twelfth Night.”_

“Somehow a woman being disguised as a man and getting confused for her twin brother is more believable than a young woman dying of embarrassment.” he stopped before he could issue forth a curse and looked the papers back over. “I should go have a good long talk with our guest.” he glanced towards the windows, where he could see the rain was letting up. “Best do it outside, so nothing gets broken.”

Rey grinned, “I thought I was the one who made things randomly explode around here.”

“True.” he kissed her forehead. “but I know my own temper, and going outside is the better option.” He closed his eyes, wrapping his arms around her and resting his head on hers. “If the dreams are even half the truth, wherever he's come from, it's a Hell I could never fathom.” He let out a long breath, twirling the loose hair at the base of her neck around his fingers. “It comes to my attention that it's almost noon, and I haven't told you yet that I love you.”

She sighed softly. “You can't judge another person's hell, darling. It doesn't matter if you drown in two feet of water or twenty.” She kissed his chin. “and I love you too.”

“Sweet Companion.” He hugged her tighter. “I'll see you at lunch.” he kissed her temple. “Oh, and in case I forget, tell Padawan Fossil I'm expecting her in the main parlor for her piano lesson at two.” He pulled away, kissing her nose. “and you are expected to take a nap at the same time. No arguments.”

“Fusspot.” she chuckled and went to the desk, closing the ledger. “and you might not have to worry about me arguing.” she gathered up the books. “It's Dragonfly who protests.” Rey grinned, “it's what happens when your parents are two of the most stubborn people upon the Earth.” She gave him another smile before walking out of the study.

“Stop stalling.” he muttered, adjusting his cuffs and going out into the hall. Last time he checked, he'd seen other-Ben wandering the first floor corridors, clearly adrift. Not that he blamed the man, he was certain if he found himself in the other man's reality, he'd feel the same. He found other-Ben near the library, looking at the photographs hanging on the wall, his gaze going between the one taken in nineteen-ten and the one in nineteen-twenty. “It was an ugly decade.”

“I heard. Some sort of flu and a war.” he swallowed, “I recognize a few faces. Not many, but some.” He pointed to a face in the one from nineteen ten. “Who's this?”

“That's Padawan Durron. He insisted we call him Kyp because he hated his first name.” Ben let out a sigh. “Guess you don't know him.”

“No. Was he as easy-going as this picture seems to show?” He smiled faintly. “He looks... jovial.”

“Professor Bridger always said Durron was exactly like Professor Kenobi, if Kenobi didn't have a stick up his ass.” he snickered. “The only thing about Kenobi I can remember is him telling me not to run in the halls. I was eleven.”

“He was dead several years before I was born.” other-Ben shook his head, sighing. “I'd think you'd need to run in these halls sometimes. I'm fairly certain the younger padawans were playing tag in them the other day.”

“There's not a lot of things in the corridors they can break.” he let out a breath, “let's go outside, have a talk.”

“I could use some fresh air.” Other-Ben answered, “I discovered, much to my dismay, while Basic and English are similar, their written form is drastically different. It's a bit of a nightmare to find a giant library full of books you can't read.”

“I assure you, Professor Îmwe completely agrees.” he chuckled and the two of them went into the library, heading for the doors to the gardens on the far side.

*

Rey didn't watch as they left the atmosphere of Tatooine. While she hadn't spent much time on the planet, she still felt a surge of relief at leaving. When she and Rose had dug up the sabers she had buried a month ago, only Leia's was still inside, the leather she'd bound them undisturbed. Further confusion came when she ignited the weapon and the blade was no longer blue, but violet. A mountain of questions and no idea how to start looking for answers.

If she was perfectly honest, all she wanted to do was curl up in bed and cry until she fell asleep, and repeat until she no longer felt empty, or no longer cared that she did.

Letting out a breath, she stood up, and Rose looked back at her from the copilot's seat. “I'm going to go do...” she shook her head. “meditate, or something.”

“Sure.” Rose glanced over at Chewbacca, who let out a low growl. “It's a good three days to get to Yavin.”

“Right.” Rey walked calmly out of the cockpit, hugging her elbows as she made her way towards the galley. Their current destination was a suggestion from Chewie, who thought someone else might share his and Rose's view on the wrongness within the galaxy. She gave an absent smile to Beebee eight who was charging near the fresher. “Bet your glad to get away from all the sand.” she sighed, “I think I am too.” 

She collapsed to a sit on the bed in the captain's quarters, pulling off her shoes and tucking her feet up on her knees. “I've done my duty and now you lot don't give a damn.” she let out a breath, closing her eyes.

_I am one with the Force, and the Force is with me._

“No, that’s not...” she swallowed, trying to place the voice. “I...”

_I am one with the Force, and the Force is with me._

Rey felt her shoulders slump and she hung her head, breathing slowly. Two different voices, one she knew, one she didn't. “I am one with the Force, and the Force is with me.” she intoned. Tears slipped down her cheeks and she swallowed, “I'm sorry, Ben. I'm sorry. I should have... I didn't...”

“No, you didn't.” her own voice answered and she looked up, facing the Rey in pink she had seen through the ice. This woman was older than her, with shorter hair. Now that she had a proper look at this other-Rey, she felt cowed and confused. Pink Rey had no lightsaber, no weapon of any kind, but carried herself with nothing but confidence and conviction. “You're scrawnier than I expected.”

“I haven't had much of an appetite lately.” she grumbled. “What, you going to chuck me into another icy lake?”

“Now, why would I do such a thing?” she walked closer to the bed. “I'm the nice one.”

Rey rubbed her temple, frowning. “That's what Rey Kenobi said. Clearly, one of you is lying.”

“Nice is such a broad term.” she paused, “maybe I should rephrase, I'm not the nice one, I'm the...” she waved her hand, and Rey caught sight of the rings on her finger. “I'm the kind one.”

“Kind?” Her voice cracked, “what does that make me?”

“Currently, you're the confused one.” Pink-Rey quipped, “and I'm afraid I can't help you as much as you want, or as much as I would like.”

“Nothing makes sense. I need things to make sense.” she rubbed her eyes. “Something. Anything.”

“Have you tried writing things down?” Pink-Rey offered, her tone gentle. “It's a place to start.”

She shook her head, “won't work. I...” she swallowed, hugging herself. “I can't. I don't know how.”

“You're illiterate?” She sensed the other Rey standing over her. “Oh...” a soft hand moved over her head. “And yet you stole the books. Do you still have them?”

“I...” she lifted her head, swallowing. “I can read a little.” shame washed over her. The look of pity in Pink-Rey's eyes was overwhelming. “I didn't have the opportunity on Jakku.”

“Now... I know you know a young lady by the name of Rose Tico. If the Rose you know is anything like the one I do, she'll be more than happy to teach you.” Pink-Rey pulled out a cloth, wiping at her cheeks. “You know if you hack off most of your long hair, you have a fifty-fifty chance of it fluffing up into curls like mine?”

“What does my hair have to do with anything?” Rey spat.

“Um, who are you talking to?” Rose's voice said from above her and Rey rolled over, groaning. “Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up.”

“No, no...” she sighed, rising to sit. “More weird dreams.” she let out a breath. “how long was I asleep?”

“I dunno, you left the cockpit five hours ago. Chewie told me to come get you, and make sure you ate something.” The older woman grinned sheepishly. “I know it's nothing but portions, but...”

“They're full portions.” Rey answered, stretching. “and I never turn down food.” she rubbed the back of her neck. “Although I miss fresh fruit.”

“Makes two of us. Chewie says there's fruit trees where we're going.” Rose answered, handing Rey her shoes. “Says it's nice and green.”

“I've missed green.” she pulled on her shoes. “and dreamless sleep.”

“Well, you can give it another go after we eat. The droids can fly the ship just as well as we can, possibly better.” Rose snickered, “did you know one of the computers in this ship's circuitry knows the filthiest jokes in the galaxy?”

“No.” she grumbled, “how...”

“I had to overhaul the engines a few times, because Poe Dameron has no respect for this craft.” she snorted.

“No kidding.” she answered as they headed to the galley, rubbing her temple. “The fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy deserves respect.”

*

_From the journal of Ben Solo_

_May 2, 1932_

_There is silence in my head and an enormous weight off my shoulders. I didn't expect the reactions I received when I had a very long, very in depth conversation with another Ben Solo – Ben Organa, I should say. I fully expected to end up flat on my back and only now waking up in the gardens outside from the punch I expected thrown._

_Instead, after purging everything – in a manner which grew easier the more I said, he looked at me and instead of seeing my own eyes, I saw my mother, and he clamped me on the shoulder, squeezed it and said “how in the name of the Force are you still upright?”_

_Where I feared judgment, I received compassion._

_Two days here in this strange reality, and I wonder why the views on the Force seem far more advanced – or understanding – when their technology is so... simple. I suppose there's far more important things to focus on than trying to apply attributes to aspects of the Force and deciding what is good and what is bad._

_As Padawan Tico pointed out, one person's cultural norm is another's perversion. She was good enough to show me a globe so I have some idea of where I am, and where she and Professor Îmwe came from. This place is lovely and diverse, from what I have learned so far – and I don't mind I am to keep to the grounds and the house. My immune system is in an unfamiliar situation and they're worried it could become compromised by something as simple as a cold._

Ben set the fountain pen down, rubbing his wrist as he watched the ink dry. After his conversation with Professor Organa, another wave of exhaustion had struck, and the man had sent him up to his room for more rest. He wasn't about to argue, despite the urge to do so; the man had already knocked him out with the Force once and wouldn't hesitate to do it again. “There's still so much I don't understand.”

He removed his shoes and went over to the bed, covering a yawn. He'd needed to get things written before lying down. The pillow still smelled of flowers, lavender he knew now, and he closed his eyes, relaxation coming to him far easier than it had in years. Or ever...

The dream began before he fully registered he'd fallen asleep. His bare feet sank into the warm sand as he walked towards a brilliantly blue ocean. This place felt familiar and wrong at the same time. As he reached the shore, he looked to his left and to his right – and a man came into view, carrying something in his arms. Shrugging, he headed towards the stranger, realizing when he was still a few yards away, he was looking at himself.

“I know you won't remember this, Bean.” Other-Ben said to the object in his arms, and he smiled. A smile Ben was certain he had never worn, but he'd seen – Ben Organa had it, when he was with Jelena.

“What kind of name is Bean?” Ben took a few more steps towards himself. “Some sort of cute nickname I guess, like Dragonfly.”

Other-Ben shifted his hold and Ben could see two tiny feet appear out of the bundle and the man crouched down, low enough for the infant's feet to touch the sand, and the water washed over them, and the baby let out a sound half laugh, half cry. “Tides come, and tides go, but my love for you only grows. Even after the sun ceases to fall and the moon fails to rise, you'll always be my beloved child.” He sat down in the sand. “And don't ever say this speech is corny. Your great-great gran wrote it.”

“Where in the galaxy is this place?” Ben sat down by himself, a little surprised the other man hadn't noticed his presence.

“Gah!” Bean cried, and he took a good look at the infant, who looked as if she'd just learned how to keep her head upright, her head full of dark hair.

“What?” Other-Ben laughed and looked straight at Ben. “What are you looking at?”

Ben shrugged and crossed his eyes, sticking out his tongue at the girl. When he refocused, the infant was now an older child, maybe the same age as Jelena, still staring hard at him. “Can you see me?”

“Your dad is too silly, Bean.” Rey's voice answered, and the woman swung the girl up and onto her shoulders. There was no physical resemblance between the two; but Bean's blue eyes felt familiar – he'd seen them somewhere before.

Ben looked past Rey and saw other-Ben, with another baby, repeating the same words he'd done with the older girl.

“I know, Mama Rey.” The girl intoned, still looking straight at him. “Can we go look for dragons later today?”

“Oh, I'm sure we have time for a good dragon search. Though I'm starting to think we've found all the ones here in Brisbane.” Rey replied and the two of them started back up the beach, heading for a spread blanket in the sand, where he could also see a basket and another squat looking object.

“Where the hell is Brisbane?” He frowned, “wonder if they're looking for real dragons.” He rested his arms on his knees, turning his focus onto the ocean. He closed his eyes, falling into deeper sleep, a lullaby echoing in his memory – something about cities in the sky, and a lost cause reclaimed.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben's stay at Jedha continues - and with the help of Rose, uncovers something unexpected. Back in a galaxy far, far, away Rey and Rose travel to Yavin 4, and everything changes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please note updated tags.

Having little to nothing to do with his time was a strange concept for Ben. He couldn't remember the last time he hadn't had something, some worry, some plan, _something_ to keep his days and the majority of his nights – all of his time occupied. While the dreamless and deep slumber was a luxury in and of itself, he couldn't stay abed. He'd walked up and down the corridors of Jedha, deciding the third floor doors being dark brown and the second floor being white were some form of lesson on balance, and not a reflection on those who occupied them.

The fourth floor had a mixture of both, and were not in use by anyone. He supposed at one time they may have belonged to either servants or young padawans, but now they held empty iron bedsteads and sheet draped wardrobes. This big house was almost completely empty, and while he could almost imagine it full of students and teachers, it was like when he'd try to picture Alderaan, but all he could see were the flat images from the holonet.

He'd always sort of hated those images, they only showed the perfection and best shots, not the _real_ place. Whenever he thought back on Hosnian Prime, he never saw the towering buildings, the people, or any of the other well-known sights of the planet, but of the overly large flowering bush that grew next to the side of his childhood home; he used to crawl under the foliage and escape from all the noise.

Which was why he was wandering up and down the stacks in the library, wondering if he could simply absorb the knowledge contained within the books via osmosis. Even if he could learn the alphabet used on this planet, there was little chance he could manage to read anything complex or particularly informative. This massive house might not have a huge occupancy, but somehow had a great deal of chatter about it. This room alone seemed to maintain a quiet, austere air.

If all was as the Forced willed it, he still had no idea what he was doing here.

The whole idea of Jedi being something other than how he knew them was almost as hard to grasp. Much like the painting and photographs of Jedi who were decidedly _not_ human where he came from, but certainly were here. “Nothing makes sense.” he muttered as a loud bang echoed up towards him and he went to the end of the aisle, looking down towards the first floor. “Was that a book or a body part?”

“Book.” Rose's voice called back. “A crate of them.”

Shrugging, Ben went to the stairs and started down. “Journal sorting?”

“Yes.” she griped, “I'm already dreading having to translate these, because it means learning the handwriting quirks of someone who died two hundred years ago.” There was another thump. “But I know why they're here.”

He came around a towering shelf to find the girl standing next to a table, carefully taking bound books from the large box. “So they don't turn into kindling for the massive bonfires of a conquering army and their power mad dictator who has forgotten history repeats itself?”

She gave him a look. “Pretty much.” she set down another book. “A good majority of the world still see Jedi as something belonging to the past, and we need to, as the expression goes, get with the times.” she rolled her eyes. “The trouble is, where I come from, the Force is more religion than anything, and sadly, a lot of people on this planet see religion as nothing important.”

Ben swallowed, nodding. “I think I've heard this statement a thousand times before. I don't have a religion, not many people do where I come from.” he frowned. “though practically everyone claims there is a Maker, though they might call Him or Her by a different name.”

Rose let out a breath, blowing hair out of her face. “I can respect that.” she picked up another tome, turning it over in her hands before setting it with the others. “Professor Skywalker says that before the Great War, things were different... but he can't quite find the words to explain. Force sensitivity went from being a thing some people just had, like red hair or being left handed.” she looked more at the crate than him. “After, in some places it became something which either made you weird, hunted, or a convenient scapegoat.”

He leaned against the table. “I've heard a version of this before.” he let out a breath, “the power mad dictator says I'm the good guy, those Jedi are the ones causing all the trouble, this is their fault, let's kill them all.”

“Sounds like what happened in Russia, back when it was still Russia.” she grimaced, “I dread to think what could have happened to Petrova if she'd not been brought to England as a baby.” She blew a strand of hair out of her face. “I don't know who was happier when I was sent to the Imperial School in China, me or my father.” she ducked her head, “one less dowry to worry about.” she grimaced, “now my biggest worry is someone finding out the seating's better in the balcony at the Prince Albert Cinema and Finn and I have to find a new place to watch moving pictures.”

“Why wouldn't the two of you not be able to sit wherever you wanted in this cinema place?” he frowned, “I don't understand.”

“Uh, because we're not white.” she gave him a look. “I'm not even allowed to sit on the floor if I go with Sybbie or Petrova. It's against the law.”

Ben blinked, his mind practically short-circuiting at the idea. “That... that's one of the dumbest laws I have ever heard in my life.” he rubbed his temple. “if this planet is quibbling over something as insignificant as the color of one's skin, I'm starting to understand as to why the technology is so... primitive.”

She folded her arms, wrinkling her nose. “I know it's a dumb thing to fight over.” Rose looked away. “I never really thought of it as holding back everyone, but it does make sense. If you stop fighting over that, you can start solving other problems.” she let out a breath. “I think the world would automatically become a better place if not one of the two billion people on this planet had to go hungry. Ever.”

He managed a smile, hugging his elbows, shifting his focus to the floor. “Too many conflicting ideas on right and wrong.” he sighed, “you can't make everyone agree on anything, even something as basic and necessary as food.”

“Or they tell you it's a nice idea, but impractical.” Rose snorted, “though I guess where you come from they haven't fixed the hunger problem either.”

He shook his head. “No.” he rubbed his temple. “I think ending hunger is one of those things that seems so simple when you look at it, but it's huge. Two billion people are a great deal of mouths to feed, and some countries are better equipped and have better weather for growing food.”

“Dictators don’t help things either.” Rose said something in another language, and judging from the tone, he didn't need a translation. “how do people who cause so much misery live with themselves?”

He let out a deep breath. “I have the answer to that.” he set his hands on the table, looking over at her as she raised her head. “People who do a great deal of evil are convinced they are actually doing good. They're drunk on their own power and influence, they can't believe there's any other way but theirs. Every great society is built on the corpses of those they crushed in their rise. Looking back at history, you find yourself asking how those who witnessed it could let it happen.” he ran a hand through his hair. “You may not be able to save everyone, but if you can, you should at least save someone.”

She picked up another one of the books, turning it over in her hands. “Or something, I suppose.” She managed a smile. “I guess that makes all of us here the librarians of Force, given how many books we have.” she slowly grinned, “that actually sounds sort of brilliant.”

“Yeah.” he reached over and picked up a journal from the crate and opened it, shaking his head at the unfamiliar markings. “Can't read this either.”

“You're reading it in the wrong direction anyway. It goes right to left.” she stopped, her expression changing. “Wait a minute!” she turned and ran up the stairs, “I just remembered something!” Her voice echoed back to him. “Oh, where is it...”

“Rose?” he set the book down. “Padawan Tico?” he shook his head. “What are you...” he blinked as the girl didn't bother with the stairs and jumped straight over the railing, using the Force to brace herself as she reached the ground floor.

She grinned, “don't tell anyone I did that.” She came over, holding a thin book, roughly the same size as the blank journal he was given yesterday. “I found this a few years ago, when I was looking for something else.” she held it out. “Around the turn of the century, Ahsoka Tano sent this journal here. Said it showed up at her school, without explanation, and she didn't know why, but she knew it had to reside here at Jedha, nowhere else.” she let out a breath. “can you read it?”

He took the book from her and opened it, and the familiar markings of Aurebesh calligraphy almost made him want to cry. “I can.” he grinned, scanning the words at the top. “I'm writing this in the hopes that someone else will read it – and know I'm not insane. I have two alphabets in my mind, and I must get this out before it goes away. Like I fear it will.”

“Is that a date up at the top?” Rose pointed to the upper corner. “It looks like a date.”

“May twenty-fifth...” he brought the book closer, frowning. “something, the ink's smudged, I just know the last number's a six.” He saw something written on the inside cover and paused, color slowly draining from his face.

“What's wrong?” Rose swallowed. “What's it say?”

“Thrawn went forward, I went back.” He lowered the book and turned to her. “Is there a list of other books that came with this one if any did?”

“I can check the archives, why? Who's Thrawn?” She frowned, “do you know who wrote this?”

“I have an idea. But the trouble is, Padawan Tico, is you already have an Ezra Bridger.” he swallowed. “And I'm fairly certain he wasn't even born when this was written.”

Rose folded her arms, looking towards the windows. “That might not matter. The school in Canada used to have a mirror like the one upstairs, but around fifteen years ago, there was an explosion in Halifax Harbor, and while the school's at least a hundred miles from it, the mirror shattered, and three days later, Professor Bridger died.” She took a breath, “they buried the glass with him.” 

*

Yavin Four was a jungle and Rey absolutely loved every part of it the moment she stepped off the ramp of the Falcon and took a deep breath. It wasn't the sheer abundance of green or the rich, deep smell of growing things, or the humid air which was hot without making it feel like death – it was like rediscovering her connection to the Force. The ziggurat they had parked the ship near held only trace remnants of the Rebellion's occupation thirty some odd years ago. The jungle had taken over most of the landing platform, covering any scars left behind.

“I like this place.” Rose's voice cut into her thoughts as she joined her. “Reminds me of D'Qar, but... kind of nicer.”

“I wasn't on D'Qar long enough to form an opinion.” she gave the woman a lopsided smile. “But this is definitely better than Tatooine.”

The older woman snorted, “it's not exactly hard. I'm still surprised you went to a desert planet, of all places. Given how much I know you like green.”

Rey rubbed her temple as they walked towards the shelter of the shade. “I'm starting to think confused is my new default state of mind.” she glanced back towards the Falcon. “Chewie said he wanted to start fixing things again. Bee-bee Eight's helping him. I can't remember a time when something that ship didn't need some kind of attention.”

“It's his way of dealing with grief.” Rose answered, shoving her hands into the pockets of her coveralls. “Given how long Wookies live...” she glanced back towards the ship. “He's going to start worrying over you before the month is out and not stop until you're old and gray.”

“I feel like I should be old and gray.” she frowned, looking around the vast, shadowy hangar bay. “Though what kind of answers he thinks we're going to find here, I don't know, though far be it for me to question a Wookie.” She sat down on an overturned crate. “the war doesn't even feel over.”

“No kidding.” Rose replied, picking up a small chunk of plastasteel, “do you remember going to Ryloth with General Organa?”

Rey rubbed her temple. “I think so. Between everything that's happened and the weird dreams, I think I'm lucky I can remember my name half the time.” she frowned, “and I thought Chewie said someone was going to be here. Someone he thought might share our idea of things being wrong.”

“Wrong depends primarily upon your point of view.” a clipped voice answered from the shadows. “Though I'm certain since you two are the ones who have arrived after all this time, it most certainly is.”

Rey and Rose stood together, looking in the direction the speaker, keeping one hand on their weapons.

“Who are you?” Rose found her voice first. “Show yourself!”

The shadow shifted and a moment later, Rey could make out the outline of a humanoid figure, taller than her. “The problem is we've come too far forward, we cannot go back to the break.” The speaker was male and he stepped forward. “But I'm certain you both already knew that, Rey of Jakku and Rose Tico.”

“No kriffing way...” Rose went pale. “You're... you're _dead_.”

“A technicality.” he inclined his head, coming closer. “All one needs to do to get declared dead in this galaxy is disappear for seven years, or vanish without a trace during a battle. I did both over thirty years ago. I might as well be a myth.” he smiled, “I have come forward, and the one who was with me went back. Further and farther than I did.”

“Rose...” Rey gave her friend a sideways look, trying to remember if she'd ever seen someone who looked like the man in front of her. “Who is this guy?”

“Thrawn.” She seethed. “He's an Imperial.”

“Another technicality.” he came completely out of the shadows. His gray and green trousers might have once been white, but were heavily stained, and his tunic was earthen colored. “All during my service, my true loyalty was to the Chiss Ascendancy. Now, it is to the Force.”

Rey swallowed; Thrawn she had heard of. A feared Grand Admiral in the Empire's navy, spoken of with equal parts admiration and hate. “How... how long have you been here?”

“Since the night the loth-cats screamed.” he clasped his hands behind his back, looking from her to Rose. “Or the night the Jedi Temple fell, if you want the more common name.” he snorted, “and the beginning of Luke Skywalker's greatest lie.”

“I don't get it.” Rose shook her head, “how...” she circled around Thrawn. “Chewie didn't turn you in? Solo neither?”

“Turn me in to whom?” A ghost of a smile came to his face. “The New Republic believed me dead, the First Order considered me a traitor and also dead, and here I am, hoping Ezra was wrong.” He came closer, and Rey had the feeling he wanted to lift her chin, like some proud uncle or something. “But he has gone so far back... and told me I would have to wait. Such interesting things Jedi say.” he shook his head. “and you are correct, Miss Tico. Your war is not over. One might argue it has only just begun.”

“I'm confused.” Rose pinched the bridge of her nose. “We came looking for straight answers, and now things only feel worse.”

“The weird dreams...” Rey whispered, “maybe they're some kind of clue.”

“Perhaps, and the more I see and hear, the more I am convinced my own theory is correct.” Thrawn went over to a small stand and a moment later the hangar was illuminated, revealing a dozen modified X-wings and a dozen tie fighters, almost exactly like the one Rey had seen Kylo Ren pilot. “I told the emperor there was something in the shadows of the Unknown Regions. I told the Ascendency. Both dismissed my words as a trifle, nothing to concern them, when really, it concerns everyone and everything.” he turned his focus towards Rose. “You look to be well read, or at the least, a lover of stories. What fictional creature or being can you think of that is capable of causing what has happened?”

“Well, there's the Chaos Eaters,” Rose scoffed, and Rey looked at her. “which isn't even a good name for them, it's just what Paige always called them... ” she swallowed, “but they're not real, they're only a story and...”

“Perhaps,” Thrawn inclined his head, “but what better way to complete a bountiful harvest than lulling your prey into a false sense of security.” He took a breath and looked around the room at the ships. “A great deal of illusion, a clone or two, and here lies a defenseless galaxy, because they have destroyed their fleets in what they thought was the final battle of the final war.”

“I don't know this story, I have no idea how...” Rey loosened her grip on her lightsaber. “Even if these so-called Chaos Eaters are real, and what's out there, ” she shook her head, walking away. “We're no better off than we were three days ago!”

“If the Chaos Eaters are real, then...” Rose whispered, “oh, kriff and crackers, that means...” she swallowed, “the ones that follow in their wake are real. The Vong.”

“I believe we need to start with what we can do, Miss Tico, and work from there.” Thrawn came closer to Rey, and a hint of a smile came to his face. “I know your eyes, Rey of Jakku.” his smile became more certain. “Or should I say, _Kira Vanto._ ”

*

Other than finding the book written in Aurebesh, the day remained uneventful. It had taken a lot of willpower on Ben's behalf to not stay up late and read the whole thing at one go, but he was still recovering from injuries, and rest, more than anything, was what he needed. Trouble was, combined with the nap in the afternoon, he didn't feel tired. He stared blankly up at the ceiling, listing to the rain against the windows, the stillness of the house somehow louder than any storm.

“This is insane.” he sighed, folding his arms over his chest and closing his eyes in what was certainly his seventh attempt at finding slumber tonight. “Maybe I should try counting banthas.”

His next thought was of how bad banthas stunk. Worse than tauntaun, and rancors didn't stink at all in comparison to them, with far more valuable hides. Rancor leather boots were incredibly durable, waterproof and he sort of wished he still had his pair; Maker only knew where they'd gotten to, and he hoped whomever had found them appreciated them as much as he did.

“Boots.” he chuckled, “I'm thinking about a stupid pair of boots in all this chaos.” he rolled over, tucking a pillow under his chin. “I'm also probably thinking too loudly again.” he grumbled as a rumble of thunder echoed outside.

The bedroom door clicked open and he jolted upright, looking towards the hall as a small face appeared around the threshold, blinking at him.

“I believe you're supposed to be in the nursery, Miss Jelena.” He got out of bed and went over, picking the little girl up. “Not wandering the corridors.”

“Bad man.” she intoned, whimpering against his shoulder. “bad man.”

“Ssh.” he rubbed her back, not certain if he should carry her back to her own room, or let her stay where she was. “It's all right.” he closed his eyes, moving his hand in slow circles. “He's not here.”

“Bad man.” Jelena whispered, and a moment later, he saw what she had. A man in a brown uniform, railing in a language he didn't know, but his tone was unmistakable. He sounded exactly like Hux in one of his so-called 'morale' speeches. “Bad.”

“Yes.” he agreed, holding her tighter. “Very bad, and very far away. He can't hurt you.” he swallowed, not certain if he had spoken a lie or not. An idea came to him, a way to distract both him and the scared child in his arms. “Can you show me the sea, Dragonfly?” her nickname fell from his lips almost by accident, he was certain.

“Sea?” she whimpered, and a moment later, she sent the image of a great rush of gray and blue water, the beach the color of shale. “Sea.”

“That's good.” he walked over to the window, adjusting his hold on her. “How about a tree? Doesn't have to be a big one.”

“Tree.” she answered, and her hands tightened on his shoulders as the image of a towering evergreen came to him, “yard.”

“Oh, I haven't seen that for myself. Maybe tomorrow, if the weather is nice.” he chuckled, letting out a breath. “Flower?”

“Flower.” she intoned, letting out a whimper at sending the picture of two rose bushes, the same ones he'd seen in the garden earlier. “Brothers.”

“Brothers?” the word died in his mouth, and he suddenly had a feeling there was more to the roses than just their placement. He licked his lips, deciding to change the subject again, “cat?”

“Kitty!” Jelena giggled and sent the image of a great black cat, fluffy as anything. “Little Miss!”

“Oh, who's kitty is that?” he grinned, turning back towards the door, deciding to carry the girl back to her own room.

“No-one's.” she tightened her grip as she showed him the cat again, running through a snowy street. “Kitty.” she yawned.

“Pretty kitty.” he replied, going into the corridor. “How about a lake, Jelena? Can you show me a lake?”

“Lake.” she sighed, and sent the image of a wide expanse of water, a city with towering buildings next to it.

“That's a big lake, do you know where it is?” The city she'd just shown him didn't fit this place they were in, it didn't seem to fit the time either.

“Far away.” she yawned again. “Hub.”

“Hub.” he frowned; reminding himself this girl was four, and went from sounding her age to sounding sixty times that in a heartbeat. Well, his mother had always said you saw yourself in your children, and while he might not be the father of this particular child, he could see enough of himself in her. Weird as it was. “Jelena, are there other hubs? Can you show me?”

“Hub.” she shifted in his arms, setting her hands on his cheeks. “Hubs.” she said again, and a dozen images flashed across his mind. The city by the lake, a great stone house, another city by an ocean, a dirt path through a grassy plain, a paved road by a wide river.

“Your head is quite full, young lady. No wonder you can't sleep.” he shifted her back to his hip, heading for the open nursery door. “You're also too clever for your own good.” he grinned against her hair. “Make sure you try and stay that way.”

*

Rey had the feeling she was standing on two separate beaches, despite the whiteness of the sand. The city in front of her didn't look right; the towers of glass and steel felt disconnected, almost as if a great invisible wall went right down the center, or the two places were interlaced, some buildings boxy and plain, others curved and strangely graceful. She blinked, and a third edifice swept into view. These were older, almost elegant, considerably shorter and unlike the others, seemed largely composed of stone and tile.

Looking back behind her at the ocean only helped confirm the idea; the blues were sharp contrasts; one deep and the other almost green. She grimaced as she walked up towards the road, searching for signs of anyone. The lack of people unnerved her; on such a bright, pretty day, the beach should have scores of people on it. “Who's showing up first... another me, or another Kylo?”

Music started up instead. Loud, joyous, and unfamiliar.

“Follow the noise, I guess.” she stepped out of the sand and onto the road, the noise growing louder as she went past a whole slew of those strange wheeled land-speeders. This certainly wasn't that Ohio place, or the city buried in snow. “Wonder if the cat's going to appear again.” she crossed a wide road, the music growing louder, and she saw its source: a low building with bright umbrellas over the tables outside, blocked off from the sidewalk by a waist-high iron fence. Through the windows she could see more tables, the room packed with people.

Setting her hands on the fence, prepared to jump over it, the scene in front of her spun, a whirl of noise, color, and the three cities a jumble and as quick as it started, it fell still, and she now faced three decorative iron gates, one in front and one on each side, the strange tricolor ocean at her back. “Whichever one I don't take tonight, I guess it's for the next two.”

Rey moved to the door on her left, pushing down on the latch and stepped through, the towering cities vanished, leaving her with the stone city. The road under her feet was made of paved stones, worn by age. Ancient as it looked, she felt completely comfortable, and she hugged her elbows as she moved towards the music. “All right, where in the universe am I?”

She came around a corner, blinking as she found another gate, this one easily twice her height. The music grew louder as she approached, and the heavy steel gates parted as her hand touched them. “I don't know where I am, but I think this is the best of the places I've been.”

A small circle in the center of the massive drive held three metal poles, and looking up, she saw three flags snapping in a wind she couldn't feel. A bright blue one with twelve stars arranged in a circle on one side, a red, green, and white striped one on the other, and in the center, a dark purple flag with a white cross set into it. “Weird.”

Stepping back, she saw another one of those strange wheeled land-speeders she'd seen previously, but this was sleeker; black, and somehow, she instantly knew it wasn't the sort of speeder a common person would use. She crossed the drive in front of it and stood on the stairs leading up the regal looking building. A uniformed man stepped up to the speeder as it stopped, opening the door.

Another Rey stepped out of the vehicle, dressed like – like a princess. It was the only word Rey could think to use for the gown the other-her was wearing. A deep, absolutely perfect shade of green; small sleeves rested on her shoulders and the skirt fanned out from her waist, leaving her feet all but hidden. “Kriff.” she put her hands on her hips as she watched the woman nod in thanks to the uniformed man and turned towards the stairs.

“I knew green was the perfect color for you.” Kylo's voice came from behind Rey and she turned to the man in a suit with a colored sash across his front; the same shade of purple as the flag. “You look amazing.”

“Thank you.” Other-Rey ducked her head, and Kylo let out a small tutting noise and reached out, lifting her chin. “You're not going to keep doing that all night, are you?”

“Considering I've already committed the terrible faux pas of coming out to meet you, I think we're even.” He smiled and kissed the other-Rey's cheek. “I mean it, Elora, you look beautiful.”

“What kind of a name is Elora?” Rey huffed, feeling more confused by the minute. This place was worse than Ohio or the snowy city. “I'm guessing no one can hear me again.”

“Well, I can.” Another voice, similar in pitch and timbre to her own said. “but then, I'm dead.”

Rey let out a small sigh and turned towards the speaker, finding a blonde woman in a pale blue dress, with some sort of odd jacket for the top, it looked a little militaristic – and old. Although every place about this dream felt old. “Who the kriff are you?”

“Such language.” the woman drew level with her. “At least, I suppose that's a curse. An odd one, but a curse nonetheless.” she mirrored Rey's pose. “You're skinnier than the Rey I know.” she inclined her head. “Although it's my own fault I didn't know her better. We are all products of the way we are raised.”

“So where is this?” she waved her hand as other-Rey and Ben went upstairs, laughing. “Is it me, or was that weird?”

“I think it's cute.” she rocked on her heels. “As to where we are... just as you are another-Rey, this is another Alderaan.” She stilled. “Beg your pardon, I should introduce myself.” she held out her hand. “Amelia Carrisford Huxley.”

Rey looked from the outstretched hand to the woman. “What the hell is going on?”

“Lord, you're thick.” Amelia rolled her eyes. “Or you aren't putting two and two together. I told you, this is another Alderaan. You know who Leia Organa is, you know who Ben Solo is. I thought you were smart!”

“Augh” she walked back down the stairs. “This is my dream, it should make sense. Or at least, I should be able to control it!”

“I'm not sure what this Force thing is, but from what I can tell, what the Force wants, the Force gets.” Amelia let out a snort. “and I don't think you'll find any answers out here.” She took Rey by the elbow and hurried her up the stairs. “I've always wanted to attend a royal ball!”

Despite her small stature, the woman had an extremely firm grip as they went inside, the music growing louder again and the corridor stretched out in front of them; the floors and walls all made of some sort of stone, and a long, colorful rug stretched down towards the noise, and she could see other-Rey and Ben making their way towards a set of double doors. “So where is this compared to Ohio?”

“A long way.” Amelia answered, turning back towards a guard who was holding a small square of black, which looked like some sort of communication device. “And it is the thirty first of August, two thousand nineteen.” she let out a low whistle. “Far ahead of my time. Of course, to the dead, time ceases to exist. I can spend this evening with you, and tomorrow I can go back to the year eighteen ninety two and attend my son's wedding.”

Rey tried not to gape at any of the luxurious items they passed, from artwork to the lights, everything seemed to have an air of sophistication she couldn't imagine. “So what is this, Alderaan the country instead of Alderaan the planet?”

“Exactly!” Amelia said as they came to the double doors and she turned to one of the two men standing guard, waving her hand in front of his face. “Guess that means we can go in.” she led Rey into the room. A simply enormous room with pillars of stone around a wide open area, with a similar colored stone floor, filled with dozens of people, the faces all unfamiliar. “Augh, a hundred and fifty-four years since I was presented at court and nearly all the men are wearing the exact same color!”

Rey felt she didn't mind; though as she looked through the crowd, she caught sight of two familiar faces; Poe and Finn – and it wasn't their jewel toned suits standing out from the sea of black ones that made her pause. It was their expressions. They were staring at other-Rey like they'd never seen her before, Poe's face reminded her of how he looked when she'd lifted all those boulders on Crait.

“I thought...” Finn found his voice first. “I thought you... you said you....”

“You told me your friends were polite, Rey.” Rose appeared almost out of nowhere, wearing a red dress which, while just as long as the one other-Rey wore, had a less volume to the skirt. “Do you need me to throw one or both of them into the fountain?”

“What, and spoil the evening?” Other-Rey smiled, and other-Ben set a hand against the small of her back. “They should at least get a few turns around the dance floor, and besides, if you threw them into a fountain, it'd ruin the hard work of the ground-keepers.”

“I don't get the point of this.” Rey walked into the middle of the room, trying to find where her companion had gone; the crush of people had simply absorbed Amelia and now she couldn't find the woman. At the same time, an unseen orchestra began to play, an unfamiliar tune in this unfamiliar room.

The couples spun around her once, twice, and dozens of dancing strangers changed into a dozen different Reys – dancing with a dozen different Bens. All of the Bens wore the same color of suit – black, with a white shirt, and they moved too quickly for her to make out much detail or difference. All of the Reys wore green dresses, their skirts all different lengths. The one whom she followed here had the widest skirt, and as she turned to follow the current Rey, another one, in a skirt almost as wide but with much longer sleeves swept past, only to be replaced by the short-haired Rey she'd spoken to before.

“Nothing makes sense...” she covered her eyes with her hand. “I don't know what's going on, I don't know where I am, and nothing...” she stilled as she felt something brush the fingers of her other hand, and she looked down to see a hand holding hers. A large, familiar hand. She lifted her head and met the gaze of Ben Solo. “And you're not real. You're dead.”

Ben gave her a sad smile and gently kissed her forehead. “I’ll explain everything when I see you again.” he squeezed her hand and she saw a small tear escape down his cheek.

“Ben...” she took one step and the ground between them was ripped apart, and she felt two hands clasp her wrists as she watched as the room moved even further open, Ben, her Ben was held back by two more – one in a dark colored uniform, and another, in a more casual looking suit – each one flanked by a Rey. The one on his right she recognized - it was Pink Rey.

“You're not ready.” Her own voice answered her unasked question and she looked to her right. It was Rey Kenobi, and she gave a quick glance to her left – and the Rey from the vision she'd had on the ruins of the Death Star stood there. “He's there. You're here.”

“What's that supposed to mean?” She spat, shaking her head. “I don't understand.”

“No, you don't.” Dark Rey sighed. “You've forgotten where you've seen this before. It's not difficult, if you think about what you know.”

“What, that I'm....” she looked back across the chasm, and the ballroom abruptly vanished; leaving her back where she started – on the beach. Alone.

Rey woke up, pulled the covers over her head, and wept. 

*

Ben tucked the covers back around Rey before he left their room, not wanting to disturb her slumber. As he closed the door, he frowned as he saw the one to the nursery was open. “Jelena?” he nudged it wider, almost chuckling as he took in the sight of Ben Solo asleep in the rocker, the child asleep in his arms. “Well, there's a first.” he had no idea who had tucked the blanket around the pair of them, and he leaned against the dresser as Ben slowly came awake. “Good morning.”

“Well, this is awkward.” he glanced down at Jelena. “Someone had a bad dream and I had the only unlocked door, I guess.”

He sighed and came over, picking up his daughter. “They're only going to get worse, unfortunately.” he shook his head. “afraid we're in for a rough couple of decades.”

Ben stood, shaking out the blanket and folding it. “I've never known a decade that wasn't. Some are just worse than others.”

“True.” he looked down at Jelena. “I'm going to go put her to bed with Rey. Why don't you go back down the hall and get dressed? I'll meet you downstairs in ten minutes.”

“Right.” he nodded and walked out of the room, and Ben shook his head.

“Mama?” Jelena yawned. “want mama.”

“Not a problem, Sweet Pea.” he adjusted his hold and carried her across the hall, “I knew I should have checked the lock before we went to bed.” he pushed the door open and saw Rey lift her head from the pillow. “Nope, you girls are going to get plenty of sleep.”

“Mama!” the little girl squirmed in his arms as he set her down on the bed. “mama!”

“Hello, Dragonfly.” she lifted up the covers so their daughter could crawl under them. “I need some company who doesn't snore.”

“Darling Companion.” he kissed Rey's forehead. “I'll explain more later.”

“Funny not-Papa made bad dreams go away.” Jelena yawned, snuggling up next to her mother.

“Get a little more sleep, both of you.” he pressed a quick kiss to the top of his daughter's head before leaving the room, closing the door firmly behind him. Having had his own share of nightmares in his lifetime, the idea of someone else chasing away the ones which haunted the mind of his little girl felt a little strange. He knew Rose and Professor Îmwe had both done it, but at the same time... “Pathetic, Organa. Jealousy does not suit you.” he shook his head and started down the stairs, stopping on the second floor when he heard a door open, followed by the sound of someone running and another door opening and quickly shutting.

“I do not know what the children are doing.” Chirrut came out of his room, looking perfectly serene. “The rain will clear off before noon, and we shall have sunshine for the rest of the week.”

“I think we could use more sunny days.” he looked down the corridor one more time before continuing down the stairs with the man. “We're all a little stir crazy.”

“Not as bad as it is in winter.” Chirrut smiled, “you're still unnerved by our guest, and it's understandable. The only ones who have not confronted a mirror are Petrova and Sybil.”

Ben snorted, “I doubt Jelena sees any of the faces like hers in dreams considers it a mirror, but a friend.” he let out a breath, “I still don't know how to sort them all out in my mind.”

“You and Padawan Andor are a dyad, Padawan Organa, you know this. You will always find each other.” they reached the bottom of the stairs. “Even in those worlds without the Force.”

“The Force is always there, it simply manifests in other ways.” He answered, “if Bridger's theory is correct.”

“I believe Padawan Solo is, as the saying goes, concrete evidence.” he chuckled, “though his world is hard for us to grasp. But then, if we were to go back in time and tell our grandfathers to tell them one can get from Hong Kong to London in a fortnight, they would call us liars.”

“Yours would, mine would say it's about bloody time.” He grinned, “now, if we could just get the planes up to snuff.”

“Padawan Fossil wishes the same,” Chirrut intoned. “our little skylark will fly soon, even if she is unaware of it now.”

Ben closed his eyes and took a deep breath, “I don't want to think about what's coming for the world this morning. Not until I've had a decent cup of tea, while such a luxury is still available.”

“Today is the third. In ten days, it will be mango day.” They went into the dining room. “I wonder how your friend always remembers the day. She was only nine at the time.”

“Mary Lennox had a wicked and accurate throw for someone who was just a rumor around the compound in India.” he shook his head, “but I got what I wanted. I proved she was real.” he picked up his plate and went to the sideboard. “Makes me wonder what thing she's found to tell me is real this year.”

“Everything might well be real, Padawan Organa, just not real here.” Chirrut answered, laughing again.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Outwardly, it's a perfectly normal day - in which Rey of Jakku and Ben Solo learn something in their own respective places. In the great beyond, Han Solo meets a trio of unexpected visitors.

Rey felt like she hadn't slept at all. The caf in her cup tasted weird – of course, she still couldn't quite tell the difference between a good cup of the stuff from the bad, but something about the flavor of this particular cup was off. Still, taking another sip did its job of helping her wake up. Too much had happened in too short of time again, and combined with the exceptionally weird and frankly, upsetting dream, she didn't know if she wanted to sleep for the rest of the year or never sleep again.

“I'm sorry for the crudeness of the caf.” Thrawn stated as he sat down across from her. “I seem to have failed to take a culinary class while at the academy.”

She looked up from her mug, certain her mouth was hanging open.

“I am making a joke, Rey of Jakku.” he shook his head and took a sip from his own cup, “I also do not trust droids as a rule.”

“Droids can be hacked.” she answered, looking back down at the table. “So I can understand your point.”

“Indeed.” he said, his tone still maddeningly even. “While the jungle here grows caf beans in the wild, sadly, the beans do not roast themselves. I believe this is part of a batch I burnt.”

“I never cooked anything other than portions.” she let out a breath, “and I'm guessing you don't have a holonet connection here.”

“No. One must conserve fuel and generator power.” Thrawn replied. “I spoke with Chewbacca a little while ago. He's decided to go hunt for fresh meat for breakfast. He believes we're all too skinny,” he cleared his throat. “That was not a joke.”

“It does sound good.” Rey took another drink and looked at him. “So what have you been doing here, these past seven years?”

“Fixing ships, harvesting caf, waiting.” he tapped his fingers against his mug. “It seems everyone spends a great deal of waiting in their lives.” he frowned, “Every now and then I would hear radio communications, wondering what idiots were running both sides of the war.”

“Not everyone was an idiot.” She answered, “and some...” she shook her head, looking down into her mug. “Why didn't you leave? Go help?”

“I told you, Rey of Jakku, the Force sent me forward. The war was not mine to fight.” She saw him stand and cross over to the small cooking plate and come back with two chunks of portion bread, a dish of blue butter, and a knife. “I was sent here to wait. How many opportunities did you have to leave Jakku and refuse?” He set one of the rolls in front of her. “The Force kept you there for a purpose. The Force has kept me here for the same.”

“I guess.” She took up her share of bread and tore it in half, picking up the knife. “You said things went wrong and we couldn't go back to the point and fix it. When did they go wrong, exactly?” she smeared butter on the surface of the bread, keeping her focus on the food.

“When is the last time you could think clearly?” he countered, “was there a morning where you woke up and thought, maybe for a split second, things felt off, but then everyone seemed to fall into place and it was brushed away?”

Rey frowned, trying to think back so many months, and while she had told Rose the truth when she said she remembered going to Ryloth, after the visit, things ran together. It was like seeing the broken lightsaber; she hadn't remembered fixing it, but seeing the two pieces jolted her memory. She hadn't repaired it, she'd woken up one morning and found it whole and didn't question it. “It feels like trying to remember a fever dream. You don't know what's real and what isn't.”

“A fair assessment. But now ask yourself this, Rey of Jakku, why do Rose and Chewbacca not have the same problem?” He stated as she set the knife down. “What is the difference there?”

Sitting back in her chair, she folded her arms, biting the corner of her lip. Nothing seemed to connect the two of them, not directly. “Are the chaos eater's abilities of causing...” she took a breath, “are there always some people who aren't affected, like the way some people are naturally immune to an illness, or like the way mind tricks don't work on Hutts?”

“Assuming they are the guilty party, yes.” Thrawn's hands wrapped around his mug, his red eyes focused on something behind her. “Force sensitivity is rare among the Chiss, and even when it does occur, it doesn't last.”

“You mean it's something they outgrow, like milk teeth?” she took a hasty sip of caf. “Weird.”

“Indeed.” His gaze shifted back to her. “As is the manifestation of the Force within the Chiss itself. The children who appear with sensitivity are navigators through the Wild Space between the Chiss Ascendency and the unknown galaxy, and, on occasion, through this galaxy.”

“No hyperspace lanes exist between Wild Space or through the Unknown Regions.” she lowered her mug, “the Force shielded Rose and Chewie from whatever caused the confusion, and possibly you as well. The Force does what it wants, because...”

“It's the Force.” Thrawn smiled, “much like anything in this galaxy, wind, water, the very dirt under your feet – you can try to harness it, try and control it – but in the end, it will always win.” he took a sip from his mug. “Good morning, Commander Tico.”

“I don't think I have a rank.” Rose looked from him to Rey, “and I assure you, no one's missing me either.” she went and retrieved her own mug of caf, sitting down next to Rey before taking a large swig. “Tastes exactly like my sister made it.”

“Is that good or bad, Commander?” Thrawn intoned.

“Good.” she took another sip. “I'm not interrupting anything, am I?”

“No.” Rey ate a little of her bread. “I still don't think we have enough pieces to sort this mess completely out.”

“Mess is an understatement.” Rose kept her focus on the liquid in her mug. “Maybe we need to take a look at the pieces we do have.”

She grimaced, “I'm not going back to the Death Star ruins, not unless we have to.”

Rose gave her a look. “How the hell can there be ruins of either Death Star? They both disintegrated upon explosion, otherwise there would be chunks of the first one all over this moon.” She looked at the bread in front of Thrawn. “Are you going to eat that?”

Thrawn tore the loaf in two, giving her the larger portion. “Your confusion has grown, Rey of Jakku.”

“I need a few straight answers, nothing more.” she picked up her bread. “I don't suppose either of you have ever heard of a place called Brisbane, have you?”

“I have not, it’s a lovely name.” Thrawn answered, picking up his caf.

“It's a city in or on Australia.” Rose stated, “but I don't know where or what Australia is.” she looked from Rey to Thrawn, her face not reacting to their shocked ones. “Well, if the dream I had last night is telling me the truth.” She bit into the bread, “Chewie should be here shortly.”

“Food first, answers second.” Rey replied, pushing the butter towards her friend.

“Agreed, one never thinks well on an empty stomach.” The former grand admiral stood, “I'm going to see what other portions are in stock.” He walked away, heading into the makeshift kitchen.

Rey didn't say anything as Rose spread some butter on the remainder of her bread, her focus clearly on the items in her hand. She didn't know exactly how to put into words all the questions which kept fighting their way into the forefront of her mind, all of them demanding attention at once. She took another drink of caf as Rose put the knife down. “Sounds like your dreams are a little happier than mine.”

“I wouldn't go with happy.” she paused, “more like weird.” she gave her a look. “Two nights ago, I had one where I was making out with General Hux, and I wasn't disturbed by it. Or rather, the other Rose wasn't, and I think my brain short circuited at the sight.”

*

Ben didn't look up from the sink as he heard Mrs. Sowerby drop something on the work table behind him, keeping his focus on getting a particularly stubborn chunk of treacle stuck to a bowl off. He'd come down to the kitchen to help – and to keep his mind off everything else. Other-Ben hadn't said much to him at breakfast, and he didn't quite know what to make of last night's incident with Jelena. Weird, yes. Uncomfortable? Absolutely. But if at least one thing was consistent about this world and his, it was the Skywalker trait of not talking about a problem.

Something he should try and break.

“What do you know about making cakes?” Mrs. Sowerby asked as he rinsed off the now clean bowl and set it in the drying rack with the rest of the dishes.

“Very little.” he picked up a towel, turning to face her. “I can make hotcakes...” he paused, “I think I still remember how, but it's been quite a while since I had the opportunity.”

“Humph.” she answered, twisting her apron in her hands. “Well, I've got you for a helper this morning, so now's the perfect time to learn.” she scanned the contents of the table. “I've separated the eggs, but I'm going to need you to whisk them.” she gave him a half smile. “Tomorrow's the fourth of May. Bit of a holiday here at Jedha. And the other English speaking schools across the planet.”

Ben turned back to the sink to start on the silverware. “Only the English ones? Is this some kind of British holiday?”

“Not officially. It makes more sense in America than here.” she chuckled, “because they put the month first.”

He frowned, “I'm afraid I'm confused, why would it make more sense as May the fourth...” he closed his eyes as the pun came to him. “be with you.” he snickered, “what genius came up with the idea?”

“The late Anakin Skywalker, or so I am told.” she pushed a bowl containing the egg whites towards him, along with a whisk. “beat these until you can form stiff peaks.”

“Yes, ma'am.” he tilted the bowl before starting, keeping his focus on the contents. He wasn't sure how many eggs worth of whites he was faced with, perhaps six.

“I know, this big house with so few people in it... doesn't seem right, but at the same time, the space helps.” Mrs. Sowerby set another bowl on the table, along with a sieve and a crock of flour. “You don't cook much, do you?”

“No.” he answered, the egg whites were getting foamy. “Droids do most of the meal prep.” he could have kicked himself; like this woman knew what a droid was.

“Are those some kind of robot they have in those science fiction novels?” she sniffed, “I wouldn't mind having one to wash the dishes.”

“Yeah.” he felt his ears go pink as he heard footsteps behind him. “They’re sort of like robots.”

“Good morning Miss Sybbie, how are you today?” Mrs Sowerby's smile became more certain, “what's the news?”

Ben glanced across the table as the girl sat down, holding up a slip of paper.

“I have a little brother.” she sighed, blowing hair out of her face. “His name is Michael.” she tucked the missive into the pocket of her sweater. “I'll get a letter with more details before the month is over.”

“Now, how many siblings do you have again?” Mrs. Sowerby poured flour into the sieve and started to tap the side of it, keeping her eyes on her work.

“Three.” Sybbie rested her head on her hands. “as much as I love being here, it makes me feel more left out from the rest of my family.”

“Hmm.” Mrs. Sowerby set the sieve down. “What's got you all glum, you're normally the cheerful one around here.”

“It's my play for tomorrow night. Professor Skywalker was supposed to be in the performance, and I know he couldn't have known Professor Holdo was going to want to leave South Africa. I worked really, really hard on the story, and...” she huffed, “well, I thought I'd ask Professor Stover, but his gran died and...” the girl looked absolutely miserable. “It's not fair.”

Ben gave the egg whites a few hard beats, not certain what the girl was talking about, but he knew a little about hoping for something and having it ruined. “What's your story about?”

“It's about a dragon whom everyone is afraid of, but he's really just lonely and needs a friend. Jelena and I were going to be the two who discover the truth and decide to be the dragon's friend after he helps us when we get lost in the woods and hide in his cave when it starts storming.” She looked down at her hands, “I'd ask Professor Îmwe, but he's already doing something with Petrova, Professor Andor is doing something with Archie, and Professor Organa doesn't participate, he works the gramophone, and Rose takes pictures.”

“How many lines does the dragon have?” The words are out of Ben before he even registered he said them. “He doesn't have some massive soliloquy, does he?” The egg whites had almost tripled in size.

“Around twenty, plus some roaring.” The girl sat up straighter. “Nothing really long...” she shot a look at Mrs Sowerby and back at him. “Why, do you want to do it?”

He set the bowl of egg whites aside and took the ones with the yolks. “I should warn you, Padawan Branson, I've never done any acting. Well, not performance acting.” he started to beat the yolks, and flicked his wrist at the other bowl, the whisk moving in the same fashion as he had with his hands.

“Show off.” Sybbie grabbed the bowl with the egg whites and took over for him. “You'd really do it?”

“You'll have to help me with the lines, I can't read your form of the language we're currently speaking.” he chuckled and Mrs Sowerby made a tutting noise. “Well, I have to do something besides help with the cake.”

“Robots do the cooking, the alphabet's completely different, next thing you know, you're going to tell us you take frequent trips into outer space.” she shook her head. “I know I was told to expect some nonsense when I took this position. But this is starting to become borderline ridiculous.”

“I've spent more time in space in the last eight years than I have on a planet.” Ben gave Sybbie a grin. “It's a miracle I remember how gravity works.”

The whisk fell from the girl's hand, her jaw dropping. “You _have_ to tell us about that too.” she blinked, “crackers and crab-cakes, Petrova's going to have kittens when she learns you've traveled through outer space!”

*

Han Solo had no idea where this place was. He'd visited countless planets, seen things which had captured his imagination and still, his current location was entirely unfamiliar. It was like someone had thrown several of his most cherished places together and created the perfect visual afterlife. A white sand beach before a deeply blue sea, the waves gentle, the water warm. Beyond, he could see mountains he _knew_ belonged to the long-lost Alderaan.

And he was alone.

He stuffed his hands into his pockets, wanting something to make sense. He leaned against the waist high stone railing, looking at his boots. He had long thought death was the end. There wasn't anything which came after; and finding out there was... “If this is a joke, it isn't funny.”

He ran a hand through his hair as a breeze swept past, and with it, came a noise. It reminded him of the Falcon, and the noise the engines made right before it jumped to light-speed. Far too soft to be his lost ship, he stood up straight, looking for a source, and a moment later, a slice of green swept across the next level down, and from it stepped three people. Two men and one woman, all of them strangers. “I think I may have spoken too soon.”

The woman turned and looked up at him; she was young, perhaps around Rey's age, maybe a little older, he never did find out how old the girl was. “Good afternoon.”

Han came down the steps slowly, cautiously. “Hi.” he looked at the two men, one was adjusting his coat and the other was tucking something into a pocket. “Afraid I wasn't expecting company.”

“Oh, no apologies necessary, we're the late ones.” The woman answered, tugging on her sleeve. “and no, Professor Bridger, I am not going to say a thing about why.”

“You just did.” Professor Bridger shook his head. “Although considering where we came from, of course our departure was delayed. Who were you talking to again?”

“Jane Austen.” the woman looked over at Han. “Honestly, the woman is absolutely delighted with the story of how I married my family's chauffeur.”

“There are so few true love stories in the class, Lady Sybil.” the unnamed man said in heavily accented Basic. “can you blame her?”

“I don't suppose I could get some answers, could I?” Han interjected. “Names, what planet are you from?”

“Pardon me.” Professor Bridger pressed his index fingers against his head, like he was clearing his mind, and turned towards him. “Professor Bridger, this is Lady Sybil and Prince Sergei Michealovich, but he prefers just Sergei.”

“We're all from the same planet.” Sybil offered, “although Ezra and I are from Great Britain, Sergei is from Russia.” she made a face, “though it's not currently called by that name.”

“It's a confusing, really long story, and not currently important.” Ezra leaned against the railing, “We've come here to rescue a princess, kill a chaos eater, and tell the Jedi to go stick it where the suns don't shine.”

Han frowned, “aren't we all dead already?” He shook his head. “And there's no such thing as a chaos eater.”

Sergei chuckled, “That's rich coming from a man who used to not believe in the Force.” he came over and thumped Han on the back like they were old friends. “I too, once thought it something of fairy tales.” he waved his hand. “And then one day, war was raging far to the west, and I and my wife left, fine safe house, comfort, all the grand life...” he shook his head. “She said we had to run, but running west was not possible. So to the east we went, and miracle of miracles, when I think all hope is lost, strange, one legged man appeared.”

Han pinched the bridge of his nose. “I think I've heard a story like this before. Please tell me you weren't in a bar.”

“No,” Sergei sighed, “hospital. Wife, dead, I am dying – and who is to take care of our little Skylark? One legged man says he already has one ward, he can have two, the first needs a sister.” he smiled, “and now, Skylark is safe, far from those who would harm her.” he beamed, “I die happy, knowing she is going to a good home. Far from monsters.”

“It's really a lovely story.” Sybil stated, “her name's Petrova, she goes to school with my daughter.” her grin turned rather mischievous. “I do hope Professor Andor teaches her how to cheat at gin rummy.”

Han rubbed his temple. “I would love some straight, non complicated answers. You think you could get those when you're dead.”

Ezra cleared his throat, “all right, I'll just say it. Your brother in law lied. Your son Ben didn't destroy the Jedi Temple. It was Snoke and Luke Skywalker was a bloody coward who would rather place the blame on a young man who had the Dark Side of the Force after him since before he was born than admit the truth.”

He felt his jaw drop and he stared at the man in disbelief. “Are you kriffing serious?” A hot rush of anger unlike any he could compare it to swept through him. Luke lied to him and Leia? “Please tell me Leia found out the truth.”

Sergei shook his head. “Yes and no.” he looked at Sybil. “You explain, you know better than I.”

Sybil took a breath before beginning. “The first person to find out the truth was Rey. She told Leia, but they both forgot,” she paused, “well, Rey might have remembered by now. The chaos eaters,” she held up her hand, “yes, you say they don't exist, but they do. The good news is, Chewbacca remembers the truth.”

Han fell to a sit on the stairs, still absolutely stunned by the revelation. His son was innocent of destroying the Jedi Temple, of the murders of the students, of so much...but there was something more, something these people weren't telling him. “Where's Ben?”

“Temporarily in our reality.” Ezra said, “he's fine. As you can imagine, he needs the rest.”

“I don't suppose I can see him, can I?” he looked up as Sergei sat down beside him. “Or is that restricted to Force-sensitive only beings?”

Sybil chuckled, coming to sit down on his other side. “Everyone has the ability to use the Force, General Solo. Are you or are you not the man who successfully navigated an asteroid field? The manifestation is simply different.”

Professor Bridger snorted. “It's not his fault, Lady Sybil. Someone decided to make all the books which could tell him or any person who could read about such things disappear.”

Han closed his eyes, shaking his head. “Why does that not surprise me?”

*

From on top of the Anasazi pyramid, you could see a long way. Rey rested her palms on her knees, seeing nothing but the green tops of the towering trees, old, ancient and almost undisturbed. Rose's comment about the Death Star ruins had jolted something deep in her memory. She inhaled slowly, closing her eyes and letting her body relax as the fog of her mind grew thin, and she was back in the hut on Ach-to, the slight brush of Ben Solo's fingertips against hers.

The future she'd forgotten.

The stone terrace in a garden by a lake, her and Ben together, and there had been laughter, such wonderful, sweet laughter – a little girl, perhaps four or five, and an infant cradled safely in his father's arms.

Rey felt the tear slip down her cheek as the memories of her yelling at Kylo, at Ben – as if she'd despised the very air he breathed. He was gone. He'd saved her, and she couldn't bring herself to weep for the man she'd loved. It was like he was nothing. She'd treated him like nothing. Deep inside her, something shifted, a subtle changing of the wind and she squeezed her eyes shut tighter, struggling to grasp whatever was out there.

The galaxy went silent and dark for a split second and suddenly turned into a blazing golden halo of light as the bond Rey believed dead roared back to life.

She opened her eyes to see Ben sitting a short distance from her, wearing an outfit which, were the situation not so miraculous, she would have thought amusing. Rey scrambled to her feet, closing the distance, her shout dying in her throat when she realized his eyes were closed; he was asleep, or nearly there. “Ben?” A small child was cradled against him, her black hair a riot of curls. “What...”

Swallowing, she reached out, almost thinking this some fever or humidity induced dream until her hand brushed against Ben's cheek, warm and solid under her fingertips. The wretched ever present dark circles under his eyes were gone. He turned towards her touch, his lips brushing against her palm. “I'm glad someone can have dreamless sleep.”

Rey slid her hand up into his hair, smoothing a tangle. “I don't know where you are Ben, but it looks like you're having a far better time than I am.” The vision shifted as she realized she was crying. “I'm sorry. I can't explain...” she swallowed and gathered up the blanket that had fallen around his knees, wedged between him and the little girl. “You're going to get cold.”

The fabric in her hands was unfamiliar, as was the weave, some kind of heavy-duty lace, which, despite its heft and construction, felt almost delicate as she pulled it up, tucking one corner behind Ben's shoulder. “I hope you both have sweet dreams.”

“Not-Papa made the bad dreams go away, Not-Mama.” A quiet, small voice caused her to start. The little girl had woken up, and was staring straight at her – with wide, hazel eyes. Exactly like her eyes.

She managed a smile, brushing her fingers against Ben's scar-less cheek again. “I'm sure he did. Go back to sleep, Sweet Pea.”

The girl yawned. “I'm not Sweet Pea. I'm Dragonfly.” she closed her eyes as Rey tucked the blanket around Ben's other shoulder.

“Goodnight then, Dragonfly.” she shook her head, wondering what on Jakku a dragonfly was. Sighing, she kissed the top of Ben's head. “Goodnight to you too, Ben.” She stroked his hair as the universe roared and she was alone once more.

She turned in a slow circle, taking in the enormity of the jungle moon, the endless sea of green and while nothing had physically changed, her whole being had shifted. Ben was alive. He was far from here, not even in this galaxy, likely not even in this reality – but he was out there. Alive.

The wretched hollow feeling inside her was gone.

Rey cast her eyes up towards the brilliant blue sky, streaked with clouds and for the first time in what felt like centuries, she smiled. “I hope next time, we're both awake.”

“Who are you talking to?” Rose's voice came from behind her and she started, looking towards the woman. “Sorry, didn't mean to scare you.”

“No, it's fine.” she frowned. “How'd you get up here?”

“I climbed.” Rose held out her hands, shrugging. “I mean, I assume you got up here the same way, and it's not like there's a bunch of little kids watching us who will try it and get hurt, or worse.” she brushed her hair from her face. “I just wanted to make sure you weren’t getting heat stroke or something up here.”

“Thanks.” She rubbed the back of her neck. “What's Thrawn doing?”

“He and Chewie are comparing notes, at least, I think that’s what they're doing, because whatever language the Grand Admiral is speaking, I don't recognize it.” they started towards the far side of the pyramid. “You sure can see a long way from up here.”

“Yeah.” she glanced back out over the sea of green. “No Death Star ruins.”

“Right.” Rose said. “someone went to a hell of a lot of trouble to create the events of the past few months. They also took a lot of chances.” She worried her bottom lip as they came to the far edge. “I'm starting to think someone in the Resistance might be a chaos eater. According to some of the stories, they can take on someone's form, but the copy's not exact. They won't have full memories, but if they infect other people's thinking, they can hide the truth easier.”

“I'm confused.” Rey swallowed, “these chaos eaters, who may or may not be real, can take on the form of someone who isn't?”

“Right.” she nodded, “but if you have one chaos eater, and you run into another one from outside the group, they can help reinforce the one undercover. Like a bartender or something.”

“How do you know _I'm_ not the chaos eater?” she quipped.

“Because you left.” Rose answered, “if you were, you'd have stayed and made sure things ran according to plan. And if there is a chaos eater, I don't think they've been with us since Crait. Maybe after Ryloth.”

“And I know you and Chewie aren't the chaos eaters how?” She replied as they crouched down and started their descent.

“You think if I was, I wouldn't have tried to drag you back to the Resistance instead of coming to Yavin? And Chewie? Well... I think the chaos eater would have the sense to take the place of someone who speaks basic.” She returned.

Rey thought for a moment and she saw Rose climb down past her out of the corner of her eye. “You don't think it's Lando, do you? I mean, he gets the whole galaxy to come help when they refused to come for General Organa?”

“General Calrissian hasn't been with the Resistance long enough, and I still don't get how it worked for him. Unless _that_ many people owed him a favor, but it seems unlikely.” They reached the wide ledge halfway down the pyramid. “And even then...” she sat down, shaking her head. “too many things don't add up.”

“No kidding.” she sat, leaning back against the warm stone. “Trouble is, the damage has mostly been done already, so even if we found the chaos eater, exposed them, it won't change the events of the last few... weeks, months... however long it's been. It also won't stop more from coming.”

Rose closed her eyes and let out a long sigh. “I think I liked things better when we knew who the enemy was.”

Rey kept her focus on the sky above. “Me too Rose, me too.”

Somewhere out in the jungle, birds began to sing.

*

If the strange world Ben was in when he was awake was primitive, this world in his dream made it look nearly as advanced as his own. But the wide expanse of sky and the vast emptiness of the land were strangely peaceful. A feeling of genuine calm washed over him, leaving far more relaxed and centered than he could imagine achieving when he wasn't asleep. He had no idea where in the universe he was, but he instantly loved it; it was one of the few places he'd encountered which felt like _home._

As he came around the bend on the dirt road, civilization bloomed, in the form of low stone and log houses. The river came as a surprise to him as he reached the wooden bridge; he'd not even noticed the sound of it moving rapidly southward and he paused to look down. The water below was deep enough to obscure the ground – it was green. “Ten credits says someone with a literal mind named both the river and the town Green River.”

Crossing the bridge, he stepped to one side of the path, brushing his fingers against a fence-post. Of the few people he saw, the women wore long skirts which reached their ankles, all of the men had holsters, though some carried long-barreled guns over their shoulders, and even some of the ladies had weapons. Everyone was wearing some form of head covering, mostly hats with wide brims. “If it weren't for the clothes, this could pass for Wild Space.”

He looked back the way he'd come, noticing the tall wooden pillars, some of them more likely trees stripped of their branches; a wire strung between them. “And I bet everyone here thinks whatever that is, it's a modern marvel.” he coughed and stepped into the yard of the nearest residence. Three buildings, all of them rough hewn but sturdy, with three animals, two horses and a cow, grazing between the largest and the smallest.

He plucked a small orange sprig of flowers growing in great bunches all over the yard, turning it slowly between his fingers. The bloom was unfamiliar, and he tucked it into the buttonhole of his shirt as he headed towards the smallest of the dwellings, frowning as he saw a large shaggy dog walk towards him and stop. “Do you talk?”

The response came not from the animal in front of him, but in the form of a solitary chirp and he felt something tug on his pant leg. Looking down, Ben found a very black cat, more fluffy than the dog, and he laughed. “Well, if it isn't Little Miss.” He reached an arm for the creature and it scampered perfectly up his body, settling around his neck and shoulders. “Guess you know what you're doing. Wish I did.” he continued through the yard, almost reaching the small porch of the house with the door opened and another Ben Solo stepped out.

“All right.” Other-Ben adjusted his coat, his face shining as if he had just scrubbed it hard, and he locked the wooden door and stuck the key into an inner pocket. He was wearing a dark blue coat, with brass buttons. Underneath, he wore a button-up shirt and a waistcoat with blue and green stripes. He brushed dust off the wide brim of his brown hat before placing it on his head and he took a deep breath, squaring his shoulders. “Stay calm, stay calm.” He went past Ben without noticing his double.

“I like your hat.” he called after other-him, and started to follow the man. He wasn't surprised when other-Ben didn't turn. “This must be one of those different manifestations of the Force worlds.” he heard the cat chirp in his ear. “You agree then, Little Miss?” He pulled the cat down into his arms, rubbing her under the chin as a carriage drawn by horses drove past on the road and he and the other-Ben set out towards the middle of the village. “Maybe Organa knows where I can find a second-hand hat.”

“Green River.” a voice rang out from somewhere to his left, and Ben shook his head, dodging past more people, cows, and horses, reaching a convenient post to lean against. Adjusting his hold on the cat, he watched the people – everyone here was human. This was likely somewhere on Earth, no doubt far from Kent. Probably not even in the same country.

A brightly patterned carpet bag, augmented with leather straps was tossed down from the top of the carriage, landing right at his feet. A slim gloved hand gathered up the handles, and he barely registered the skirt color; dark brown with some sort of yellow flower worked into the fabric, before he straightened and found himself looking into Rey's face.

No. Not the Rey he knew. Not Rey Andor. Another Rey.

He congratulated himself on not laughing at the wide brimmed bonnet framing her face. She couldn't see him of course, but a part of him wished she could. She looked travel worn, and she pulled a brave smile, but he could see the hint of nervousness in her eyes. Encountering another Rey was stranger than another him. The edge of the Rey from Jakku was missing, replaced with something he couldn't name. She had a sliver of Rey Andor's refinement, but... what was it about her expression? He knew it, he'd seen it somewhere before, not on Rey's face. Someone else's.

“Miss Huxley?” Other-Ben's voice asked and a dull roaring filled Ben's ears. The sound before a Star Destroyer's engines went to light-speed, the tail end of the Force-Bond, and the scent of lavender swarmed into his mind, cutting him off from focusing on anything but watching as Other-Rey and Other-Ben started down the way he came. Was he even still holding the cat?

The town of Green River spun around him, and when the world came slammed back into real time, he was standing not outside, or in the town, but in a large room, dancing couples moving around him in a perfectly timed waltz, and half of the men wore blue uniforms, similar in color to the coat Other-Ben had worn.

“Now where am I?” He scanned the couples, certain he saw Other-Ben and Other-Rey, but Ben did not wear blue – he was dressed in black. “Wait a minute...” he took a few steps, turning to take in the whole room. “I know a state ball when I see one.”

“How astute.” A new voice spoke from behind him. “All this pomp and circumstance...” rather than waiting for him to turn the man came to his front. He was older, if Ben were to guess, close to sixty, his hair mostly gray, his dress uniform held a number of stripes and gold braid. “I've never liked it.”

“What is this?” He knew this man. He'd seen his face before – recently. The answer just out of his grasp, his brain unable to fully focus on anything. “Where is this?”

“Washington, about two thousand miles from your current location, and fifty-nine years in the past.” He reached out and ruffled Ben's hair like an affectionate uncle. “The kids will have something for you tomorrow morning. I trust you can figure things out once they hand you the box.”

“Merciful Maker....” Ben swallowed, not fully comprehending what was seeing. “Ezra Bridger.”

Ezra smiled. “Tell Thrawn when you see him, I've had the most incredible adventure, and he's not going to believe half of it.”

Ben bolted upright, falling off the sofa he'd not meant to go to sleep on. He pressed his hand against his forehead, rubbing at the dull ache. Of course, given some of the things in the past which ripped him from his sleep, this wasn't the worst. He let out a breath, picking up the books which he'd inadvertently swept off the nearby table. “This is madness.”

“Padawan Solo?” Archie's voice came from somewhere in the corridor. “It's almost time for tea, where are you hiding?”

“In here.” he answered, setting the last book in place, and he received another shock – he could read the title. “ _North and South_. Wonder what's this supposed to be about.” He heard the door open and he turned towards it. “I didn't mean to fall asleep.”

The young man shrugged. “It's that kind of day. Besides, you're still recovering from... whatever it was.”

“Yeah.” he chuckled. “I don't even know what this room is.”

“This is the side parlor.” Archie gave the room a once over. “In any other house, they'd call it the morning room, because it's where the lady of the house spent her morning.” he made a face. “Of course, it's nineteen thirty two, not eighteen seventy two.” he huffed, blowing his hair from his face. “You have all your lines down?”

“Most of them.” he paused, “may I ask you something?” They went into the corridor.

“I guess, do I have to answer?” He stretched.

“Not if you don't want to.” Ben took a breath. “How come everyone here calls you by your first name instead of your last?”

Archie rubbed the back of his neck. “Because I asked them to. The instant someone hears what my surname is, the entire history of it just gets dumped on my head. Three hundred some odd years of British History.”

“I think I understand what you’re saying.” he ran a hand through his hair. “You're so and so, son of so and so, and the person you just met wants to know what you've done for the Glory of the Empire, and the honor of your family name, and don't you dare use the excuse you're only eleven?” he managed to keep the laugh from his voice.

“You too?” Archie grinned, and took him by the elbow, steering him down the corridor. “Come on, if we don't hurry up, all the good sandwiches will be gone.”

**Author's Note:**

> Sometimes, you need to fix something (TROS) and link fics together at the same time. 
> 
> Kudos and comments are toast with butter and jam!!


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